abolished prescription charges?

caz2703

Ah that makes sense. I'm asthmatic and have always had to pay since I left education which baffled the chemists as their own feeling was that you shouldn't have to pay for asthma medication.

Well at least I don't have to get preggers again to get free prescriptions. Mind you, most of the medication I've needed recently has been due to complications from being pregnant!

snowmen

NAR wrote: »

What if you have a prescription dated 30th March; will it be filled for free today?

yes - just picked up mine prescription dated 30th march today and it was free! Hoorah!

izzwizz_2

culchied wrote: »

Sorry but I think the idea of abolishing prescription charges is just naff

There are many people with chronic diseases such as asthma who have had to pay prescription charges year in, year out. The nhs is supposed to be free at the point of use, and it seems unfair to me that people with chronic illnesses should have to pay.

A large round of applause from me to the people who abolished the charges, and saved spending so much money on all the red tape involved in running the exemptions.

Snoozle

I think that prescriptions should be free for people with chronic conditions etc, but I'm not so sure about making them free for everyone and everything. I don't see why people should be allowed to get prescriptions for run of the mill things like paracetamol that they should just be buying over the counter. Or Calpol and sudocrem for babies - these things are so cheap that I don't for one second believe that there is anyone in our society who is so poor that they can't afford them. Maybe instead of universal free prescriptions, there should be some sort of lower limit e.g. any OTC drug that costs less than £4 or something can't be obtained on prescription.

Old_Git

Snoozle wrote: »

I think that prescriptions should be free for people with chronic conditions etc, but I'm not so sure about making them free for everyone and everything. I don't see why people should be allowed to get prescriptions for run of the mill things like paracetamol that they should just be buying over the counter. Or Calpol and sudocrem for babies - these things are so cheap that I don't for one second believe that there is anyone in our society who is so poor that they can't afford them. Maybe instead of universal free prescriptions, there should be some sort of lower limit e.g. any OTC drug that costs less than £4 or something can't be obtained on prescription.

I totally agree ,I used to buy items over the counter rather than on prescription simply because it was cheaper .If I did get a prescription I always asked it I could buy the item cheaper over the counter .Boots chemist where the only ones to refuse to sell branded products over the counter and this was because they wanted me to buy there own brand products .The downside to free prescriptions is everyone will be running to the doctor for minor aliments .

absoluteutopia

Thinking about bringing charges back http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-15156966 are you in favour or not? i am in favour and i would be required to pay for them

saverbuyer

I don’t really know. I would pay if I had to but I’d rather they cut dispensing fees to pharmacists if it’s all about raising money.

Then again what I would really like to see is large drops in the number of public sector worker numbers and NI moving towards creating a real economy.

yorkie98

I am in favour, but I think the small charge of like 50p would be pointless, the admin required would most likely cost more than it brings in, also the biggest problem is that people are now getting medicines they don't need or getting medicines on prescription which would have normally been bought over the counter as they are cheaper to buy than the prescription charge so 50p still makes it cheaper to get cough linctus from the doctor than to pay £2.50 for a bottle from the pharmacist or the supermarket. It will be difficult to find a charge point which will bring in money and solve the wastage/abuse problems happening since charges were dropped.

Golden_Anemone

I too wouldn't mind paying for prescriptions but as long as the system was fairer. There was something wrong with the system that existed before charges were axed in that only a small minority of people ever paid anything.

Also the list of exemptions for chronic conditions is way out of date. For example, Cystic Fibrosis isn't exempted for adults yet someone with a thyroid condition gets all their prescriptions free even if it's nothing to do with the exempted condition!

I know of people on benefits getting low cost items such as paracetamol and emollient creams routinely prescribed and then keeping the whole family in stock with them. I don't know if it still happens but there was a time when some GPs would ask a patient if there was someone in the family who was exempt and then write the prescription for that person instead of the patient who would have to pay.

A system that meant that nobody had to pay for more than a certain number of items a month, with people on benefits and low incomes receiving a certain number of items up to a limit free each month might be fairer. There would be a ceiling on how much people paid and also a ceiling that might prevent some of the waste by people who don't pay and therefore don't ever consider cost when asking for a prescription.

And I am not in any way saying that everyone who gets free prescriptions is wasteful or dishonest. Just that some are.

steveymp

absoluteutopia wrote: »

Thinking about bringing charges back http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-15156966 are you in favour or not? i am in favour and i would be required to pay for them

A reasonable £3 charge for a prescription would be acceptable providing the money used was as promised for Cancer drugs etc...

I haven't had a prescription since they became free:o