Prescription charges for the over 60's

Officer_Dibble

Why are Age Concern fighting something that affects people between 60 and state pension age? I'm not that far of 60, but wouldn't expect to be of any concern to Age Concern for a fair while. If I was likely to be of concern to them, I'd be almost certain to get free prescriptions on other grounds.

lisyloo

marlot said:

>> I'm also only permitted 3 months at a time

You must have an understanding GP.  I'm only prescribed one month at a time.

I get 6 months, but I don’t pay as medically exempt.
doesn't seem fair to me.

Savvy_Sue

Officer_Dibble said:

Why are Age Concern fighting something that affects people between 60 and state pension age? I'm not that far of 60, but wouldn't expect to be of any concern to Age Concern for a fair while. If I was likely to be of concern to them, I'd be almost certain to get free prescriptions on other grounds.

I'm not sure what their 'lower age limit' is, but Saga, for example, is 50+. 

They may also be supporting the WASPI women - for some of whom the introduction of prescription charges for the remaining time until they reach state pension age will be another unwelcome hit on their budgets. 

And perhaps worth noting - for the OP and others - that Age Concern is now part of Age UK. Wikipedia ... 

Age UK is a registered charity in the United Kingdom, formed on 25 February 2009, and launched on 1 April 2009, which combined the operations of the previously separate charities Age Concern England and Help the Aged to form the UK's largest charity for older people.

MalMonroe

arnoldy said:

Hopefully "free" prescriptions can be abolished, and instead if everyone paid then they only need to charge £1.50 and sweep away the cottage industry of who pays a fee or not.

That will also make people understand the NHS is not "free", and end abuses that have happened like Paracetamol, or Gaviscon on prescription - both available at supermarket for not much money.

But you see the NHS was meant to be free when it started on 5th July,1948. Nye Bevan said the idea was that it would provide everyone in Britain with free nursing, dental and medical care and prescriptions. So much for that. Now we are paying twice for some of that care as well as for prescriptions - through taxes and at the counter too - and we have to pay for eye tests and for dental treatment. That wasn't the idea.

Where I live, neither Paracetamol nor Gaviscon are available on prescription but anyway, patients didn't abuse anything. GPs readily wrote prescriptions, patients didn't ask. 

But I agree that if there's no alternative, we should all muck in and I would be happy to pay £1.50 per prescription. But in reality I feel miffed because people were promised a free full service with the NHS, which wasn't actually free but was funded by we, the public. Or those that went before, because I wasn't born then.

As silvertabby has said, people who are under pension age can buy an annual pre-paid prescription certificate which is quite a good bargain if they take two or three regular medications. Still paying twice for meds but cheaper than paying full price. 

As people age, sadly, things start to need boosting - so there are blood pressure tablets, cholesterol tablets, tablets for ulcers, tablets for this, that and the other. And when you're on a pension, money is in short supply. I'm over 66, take three regular meds and am very grateful I don't have to pay for them. But I've paid NI and taxes all my life and feel that I deserve a treat* as well as a pittance of a pension. People are living longer these days. I guess we should thank free scripts for that. 

*being ironic there 

MalMonroe

Officer_Dibble said:

Why are Age Concern fighting something that affects people between 60 and state pension age? I'm not that far of 60, but wouldn't expect to be of any concern to Age Concern for a fair while. If I was likely to be of concern to them, I'd be almost certain to get free prescriptions on other grounds.

You're old, matey. 

Don't worry, you'll get used to it. I just turned 72 and absolutely hate the fact that I've been loitering under the umbrella of 'aged' for a good number of years. If you're not that far off 60, you're a mere spring chicken compared to me! 

lisyloo

@MalMonroe (rather than quoting long post)

i think the point was that being free “at the point of delivery” is not the same as totally free (which of course it isn’t to taxpayers). So picking up a £10 prescription for 30p paracetamol is not morally right. Personally I don’t think I doctors should issue those prescriptions without good reason e.g. someone on eight every day who genuinely can’t afford it.

the other point is that when bevan designed the system people dropped dead around retirement age. We have a much greater burden now.
if we want to support it we need to pay extra taxes e.g. the extra NI shortly coming in.

donnac2558

blue.peter said:

Alternatively - and this is the position I'd prefer - all prescriptions should be free at point of acquisition for everyone. I believe that this is the position in Wales and Scotland. (Not sure about NI.) Having said that, I do have some sympathy with @Emmia's view that OTC medications should not be available on prescription at all.

Obviously, "free at point of acquisition" implies payment through taxation.

(I don't pay directly for my prescriptions as things stand - I'm over 60. But when I did, I used to buy yearly pre-payment certificates for my blood pressure drugs. And yes, I used to leave buying new certificates until the last minute. Of course, I ran the risk of needing drugs for something else in the interim.)

Yes, prescriptions are free N.I., but there was talk at one point of charging 50p for each prescription, but never heard about it again.  Doctors here do not prescribe any over the counter meds.  Anyone with thyroid or diabetes always got their prescriptions free, that includes any other medicines they get on prescription.

Silvertabby

lisyloo said:

@MalMonroe (rather than quoting long post)

i think the point was that being free “at the point of delivery” is not the same as totally free (which of course it isn’t to taxpayers). So picking up a £10 prescription for 30p paracetamol is not morally right. Personally I don’t think I doctors should issue those prescriptions without good reason e.g. someone on eight every day who genuinely can’t afford it.

the other point is that when bevan designed the system people dropped dead around retirement age. We have a much greater burden now.
if we want to support it we need to pay extra taxes e.g. the extra NI shortly coming in.

I'm sure I read somewhere that when the NHS was introduced it was expected/hoped that costs would actually reduce once people had been restored to good health.  Of course, back then the ideas of organ transplants, IVF, etc were just science fiction. 

I_Love_comps

All I can say is that if the over 60's and under state pension age are going to start being charged, then I would urge you to buy the prepayment method.  
This is very good value for money as I found out, especially if you have a medication which you have all the time. (I am under 60).
This covers any prescription medicines you have.

Flugelhorn

I_Love_comps said:

All I can say is that if the over 60's and under state pension age are going to start being charged, then I would urge you to buy the prepayment method.  
This is very good value for money as I found out, especially if you have a medication which you have all the time. (I am under 60).
This covers any prescription medicines you have.

it is very good value if you have more than one item a month and can be paid for monthly ( I think). I fall into the 60-66 group and am on 2 meds  will be able to buy one OTC and shan't bother with the other