Monday, November 28, 2022

MyGovId is Robodebt II?

Medicare Card with Wrong Name

Australian company directors have until 30 November to register with MyGovId. The ABC reported that about a million have not yet done so and each risk a fine of $13,000. The registration requires providing multiple forms of identification, with matching names. This may prove impossible by following the instructions issued. This may result in a situation similar to RoboDebt, where a badly designed automated government system caused suffering for a section of the Australian population, and is now the subject of a Royal Commission. The Australian Government needs to extend the deadline and clarify how IDs are matched.

A few weeks ago I called Medicare to have my name changed on my card, to match what is on my passport. This was so I could link it to my MyGov account. I was told my name had been changed, and was able to link it to MyGov. I elected not to have a new physical card issued, and was assured this would be okay.

However, yesterday I checked my online Medicare record, and discovered that while my Medicare record has the correct name, the facsimile of the card shown on screen has the old name. So I requested a new card. My medicare record now shows a new card, but still with the old name. So on the one screen it says for "Thomas Worthington" the card is issued to "Tom Worthington".

The MyGovId instructions say to enter the name on the card. But that name is not the name on my Medicard records, or my passport. Is this the only case in which following the instructions will not work?

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