It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

Auntycaz

Slinky said:

I've had a number of prescriptions recently, and still have to pay. Never when the person hands me the prescription do they ask for payment. I have to mention it. I feel like they're trying to catch me out. I wonder how many people walk away without paying. It's not like I look much older than I am either!

Prescription charges are a tax on some of the English sick.

I would be finding another pharmacy if that happened to me. They should ask you if you pay for your prescription and if you do tell you how much it will cost and if you don't you need to tick why not and sign and date it. If they're so lax as to not get the basics right I wouldn't trust them to dispense my medicines correctly.

jcriyadh

Longwalker said:

Bluegreen143 said:

We don’t have prescription charges here in Scotland so I wonder if the population of Scotland is included in the % who don’t pay as that would skew the figures?

We dont have them in Northern Ireland and I think nor does Wales . So basically England is paying for the rest of us

If we all paid, the charge should go down and those that dont pay anyway wouldn't be affected

Yes, Longwalker, but I’ve just turned down a job in Scotland (for various reasons) but, looking at salary after tax, I’d be paying £100/ month more tax in Scotland than with a Welsh or English postcode.  So I don’t think that ‘free’ prescriptions are, in fact, free in Scotland.  The Scottish taxpayers are subsidising them every month.  I’m not suggesting that this is a good or bad thing, social conscious, etc.  Mearly pointing out that Wales actually has free prescriptions, with no tax implications. Seems Scotland and England are subsidising Wales and NI?  On a personal note, I feel that all health care should be free, that’s the premise of the NHS, no?  Paying for prescriptions is a form of private medicine, you can only have it, if you can afford it.  The beginning of the end for the NHS. 

Longwalker

jcriyadh said:

Longwalker said:

Bluegreen143 said:

We don’t have prescription charges here in Scotland so I wonder if the population of Scotland is included in the % who don’t pay as that would skew the figures?

We dont have them in Northern Ireland and I think nor does Wales . So basically England is paying for the rest of us

If we all paid, the charge should go down and those that dont pay anyway wouldn't be affected

Yes, Longwalker, but I’ve just turned down a job in Scotland (for various reasons) but, looking at salary after tax, I’d be paying £100/ month more tax in Scotland than with a Welsh or English postcode.  So I don’t think that ‘free’ prescriptions are, in fact, free in Scotland.  The Scottish taxpayers are subsidising them every month.  I’m not suggesting that this is a good or bad thing, social conscious, etc.  Mearly pointing out that Wales actually has free prescriptions, with no tax implications. Seems Scotland and England are subsidising Wales and NI?  On a personal note, I feel that all health care should be free, that’s the premise of the NHS, no?  Paying for prescriptions is a form of private medicine, you can only have it, if you can afford it.  The beginning of the end for the NHS. 

I think the higher tax in Scotland is to pay for the extra benefits given - child heating allowance etc etc which arent available in other parts of the UK.

Im sorry but I dont agree with you. I think that all of us who can, should be paying for prescriptions. And the figures show, its very very few people who actually have to pay

Here in NI we have the total madness of GP appointments being taken with people who have coughs and colds, just to get that prescription so as not to pay £3 or £4 for a bottle of cough medicine otc

Give something free, and theres a queue for it, needed or not

Floss

Perhaps we should leave an emotive topic alone before we get shut down.

Floss

@YorksLass was it you who pointed me to HomeBargains for bacon? It's lovely, and great value!

JIL

Floss said:

YoungBlueEyes said:

The last time I was in the chemist (a big busy Boots) and I got my purse out to pay, the woman said “oh, cash”.  I laughed and said “yeah I’m about the last person paying for my prescription”, she said I was the first one for 3 days that had. 

Not conclusive proof, not representative of the whole country etc etc. 

I take your point tho @pumpkin89

That maybe because others have prepaid certs, which are still paid for.

I have and I will confess to being sneaky with it. I buy 3 months at a time and manage to get 4 prescriptions out if it. Timed right it's all perfectly legal.
Instead of £108 for the year I buy 3 x £30.25. 

YoungBlueEyes

If I somehow don't manage to get the cheaper annual hrt certificate thing (if there's ever a way to fall through the cracks I will absolutely always be caught out with it!) I'll try to do @GaleSF63's  'time it just right' thing to get the most from it that I legally can. I'm grateful for the info  

tooldle

Health is devolved in Wales. Welsh Gov research abolished charges for all, part of the reasoning being ensuring population free access to medication keeps people out of hospital. 

Pollycat

I get free prescriptions.
I'm 70 this year and have 1 item per month.
I paid for prescriptions before I was 60.
I also paid a load of NI because I was on a good salary. That didn't get me any more state pension than someone who had worked in a low paid job and got credited for child care years.

I don't get much age related benefits/perks.
Just free prescriptions and my free bus pass.
I didn't get any benefits during my working life, not even child benefit.
I think I've paid enough in to be entitled to what I do get at my age. 

mumf

It’s interesting, this business about free prescriptions and what not. The year before I left school,we had lessons about ‘form filling’ from a New Zealand teaching student. A good lesson that! One thing she said,and I’ve never forgotten. “ National Insurance deduction from your wages means you get the dole if you lose your job. It means you can see a doctor or go to hospital. When you get to the end of working,it means you get a pension. That’s the deal”. 

So now I am 42 years on from that time,and sadly ,very poorly . It means I cannot work anymore,so I am claiming for what I am due,as I have never been out of work. And boy,do I now need those free prescriptions! I am glad that this is our system.