Not paying N.I.

GunJack

You should be able to claim for NI credits even if not getting any ESA money, call DWP and ask about it.

xylophone

especially when one of those people has expensive on going medications

Have you obtained the annual season ticket as mentioned above?

With regard to one spouse supporting the other, this has always been the case surely?

steve.othen

Yes, my partner pays for the annual prescription ticket for me.
& yes , you are correct, if you co-habit, ( whether married or not ), the working partner has to support the non-working one, still doesn't make it right tho, & it makes life very hard if you are unable to work due to illness.
I will look into having my N.I. paid, or i'm not going to get a pension either when i'm 67.
Thanks for all the comments.

lisyloo

£2 a week is not expensive for medication if you have multiple prescriptions. That’s highly subsidised.

The safety net is there for people who don’t have enough to survive.
The rules say that as a couple you have enough to live on.
If you wanted more then you should have taken insurance (difficult when self employed but not impossible) or saved and made your own arrangement to take care of sickness which is foreseeable. I have insurance for that eventuality.

The state safety net is not great yes, it’s for survival only.
If people want more then they need to plan for it themselves.

Maybe not much help to you now, but might be helpful for someone else in their planning.

It’s always been this way.
If you want Better than state benefits then you need to make your own arrangements usually via insurance.

xylophone

I will look into having my N.I. paid,

You have obtained a state pension forecast as a starting point?

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

steve.othen

Hmmm, yeah, all sounds great in theory, unfortunately real life ain't so simple.
Thanks for the comments.

bostonerimus

lisyloo wrote: »

£2 a week is not expensive for medication if you have multiple prescriptions. That’s highly subsidised.

The safety net is there for people who don’t have enough to survive.
The rules say that as a couple you have enough to live on.
If you wanted more then you should have taken insurance (difficult when self employed but not impossible) or saved and made your own arrangement to take care of sickness which is foreseeable. I have insurance for that eventuality.

The state safety net is not great yes, it’s for survival only.
If people want more then they need to plan for it themselves.

Maybe not much help to you now, but might be helpful for someone else in their planning.

It’s always been this way.
If you want Better than state benefits then you need to make your own arrangements usually via insurance.

Everyone should receive the best possible care irrespective of their ability to pay...that's how the NHS was founded.

xylophone

Everyone should receive the best possible care irrespective of their ability to pay...that's how the NHS was founded

He is not complaining about the standard of medical care, ( and he is not paying for medical care) just about the prescription charge?

If the OP and spouse were on a very low income, then it would be covered.

They aren't so it isn't - and really £2 a week for drugs which cost heaven knows how much is hardly excessive.

lisyloo

bostonerimus wrote: »

Everyone should receive the best possible care irrespective of their ability to pay...that's how the NHS was founded.

NHS absolutely.
He’s getting all his medication for only £2 per week and all medical care for free.
That seems pretty excellent to me.

The other comments are about financial planning to avoid being on the survival only benefits system. These are not directed at the Op for whom it’s too late, but for others who might be able to learn something and plan for a life that isn’t subsistence level.
Benefits are not there to give people a nice life, they are there as a safety net for survival.
This is the basics of financial planning.
The basics of marriage/partnership are that you support each other including financially.

I can’t see how any of that is in any way controversial.

molerat

GunJack wrote: »

You should be able to claim for NI credits even if not getting any ESA money, call DWP and ask about it.

molerat wrote: »

Even though you are not entitled to receive the £ from the benefit due to income you may still be able claim the benefit purely for the NI contribution.

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