breaking latest news – The semiconductor crisis is no longer just a mental architecture of analysts, nor is it only the six months (even a year) to collect the car we have been chasing for some time in our dreams, nor the console to play that not is found. This time the semiconductor crisis sits at the table with families. The first victim is the health card. There are no chips and the connected service system goes into crisis (for the purchase of drugs there should be no problems, since pharmacies use the barcode).
And tomorrow? Tomorrow there are ATMs, credit cards and electronic identity cards. At this moment the offer can no longer keep up with the demand: Compared to 5 years ago, the delivery times for the chips needed for IT banking security systems have expanded up to 52 weeks (versus 27 pre-pandemic weeks). A mockery. Especially for this country.
The few and sweaty achievements of digitalization are at risk because the supply chain is slowed down by factors we know well: international tensions with the countries that have the materials for the chips (Russia, China, Ukraine), inflation, the super demand contemporary to the pandemic.
How long will this crisis last?
Throughout 2023, analysts say. While efforts are multiplied to achieve a kind of independence in this sector. Europe and the United States are moving with important allocations for the construction of factories and research centers.
What’s going on with the health cards? The problem focuses on the expiring ones. Every year in Italy about 11 million health cards are replaced, which have a duration of six years, and since 2011 each of these had a microchip. The Ministry of Finance has foreseen the possibility that the new cards can be delivered even without the chip. An emergency solution.
Therefore, the new cards in distribution will have no chips and will have limited functionality compared to those with the chip. The cards will continue to be valid as a Tax Code, to guarantee access to the services of the National Health Service and to allow access to health care in the EU. However, they will no longer be used as a National Service Card, useful for accessing the online services made available to the Public Administration, such as online identification and authentication and electronic signature. Adding to the confusion is that each region has its own rules in terms of health services.
There is also another solution: extending the validity of the expiring card. Citizens will be able to extend the use of their card with the chip until 31 December 2023, even with a validity date that has now expired, in order to maintain access to online services until the end of next year. A procedure that, however, does not take place automatically and requires several manual steps. To do this, it is necessary to connect to the Health Card System website and follow the instructions.