Could you survive on state pension with ill health?

Not a chance

MissAdventure

"Is that the one based my side of the bridge MissA ? (run from the community health hub/care home)

My mum used it a couple of times, and it was really good and efficient.

I think Southend hospital has its own service, but it used to invest a lot of waiting around."

Yes, I think it must be, although there is a similar community minibus service too, I think.

For the sake of trying to sort out fares, and being reimbursed, the charge is well worth it to me.

I've had to attend orsett hospital, and that would be almost impossible on public transport.

I met a couple in their 90s who were referred to orsett, and were told they didn't qualify for any help, as it was he who was unsteady on his feet, but she was the patient.

If she had an HC2 certificate, she would have been eligible for transport costs, even if she was capable of running a marathon.

She would have been eligible for an HC2 certificate if she only had her state pension, which is what this thread is about.

RosieandherMaw

^Prescriptions are free for anybody of pension age^
While expensive for those younger, prescriptions are the least of it!
Homeopathic remedies don’t come cheap, but are a matter of choice.
Transport to hospital and clinic appointments is not. These may be many miles away and a degree of infirmity makes any sort of travel fraught, especially public transport if it exists at all.
Nor is heating at home free and however much we “fitter” pensioners complain - and read GN to see that we do - for the immobile and housebound, a degree of warmth and comfort are essential.
Are We There Yet has put it well and after 20 years of DH’s post- transplant care and ultimately terminal illness, I have been there and got the T shirt.

I agree that prescriptions are the least of it. For somebody who only has the state pension, actual medical costs are likely to cost very little.

However, as others have written, the answer is as long as a piece of string because it really depends what illness prevents somebody from doing and whether the person is eligible for AA and whether that covers the extra costs.

Examples people have given are heating (although somebody with only state pension would probably receive the Winter Fuel Payment) and possibly special food or mobility aids not covered by any scheme. For example, I had to replace all my bras after breast cancer.

I couldn't manage on the state pension alone. Thankfully I have some small pensions from my workplaces - all final salary - but I was a fairly low earner and a stay at home mum for many years. I always assumed I'd be OK with my relatively high earning husband, but divorce put paid to that idea. He was quite a few years younger than me and still hasn't got his state pension! I still have a mortgage too, so eventually downsizing should be the way to go, as soon as I decide where to move to.

If I only had a pension, probably not. But I have savings, so yes.

Too many variables and not enough context, but on the basis that minimum single pensioner income for those without savings there is a minimum income of £218.a week with add pension credit, housing costs nil, you could just about manage in a small house or flat on that, assuming you are not running a car and have a access to free bus service , hav no holidays abroad, no expensive hobbies, frugal diet and assuming most medical costs are covered by NHS.

If you mean can you survive on state pension alone in a large house with a car, and private medical costs and carry on with the same life style you had as a couple and not touch savings, the answer is probably no.

I always thought reimbursement (if that's even a word) meant that the person had to use the cheapest option of travel, growstuff?

Yep.
I'm sure it's a word.

I couldn't survive on the state pension at all - our electricity bills are almost as high as that.

ReadyMeals

I couldn't survive on the state pension at all - our electricity bills are almost as high as that.

That’s some electricity bill. Approximately £11,500 a year.

growstuff

M0nica

I think the support structure is so complex it is almost impossible for anyone to know what they might be entitled to and claim it.

Where I live the cost of a taxi for a round trip to the main hospital is £100. Not only that parking at the hospital is extrememly limited, so the 'cost' to us is that DH cannot physically go to a hospital appointment on his own, even though he is otherwise capable of it. I have to drive him there, drop him off, drive over half a mile to the nearest public carpark and sit in the car until he rings me to say he is ready to be collected.

Still the car park is close to Waitrose, so I can go in and get my free coffee and use the loo if needed. But it is a waste of my time and can get cold in winter.

But MOnica, if your DH only received the state pension, he would be eligible to claim his travel expenses. If the only viable way were to be by taxi, that's what he would be able to claim.

growstuff, but many people on pensions do not qualify for PC, so cannot claim back the cost of taxis. before Christmas DH was at the main hospital weekly for about six weeks. Your pension has got to be very generous indeed to be able to pay out £600 on taxis in such a short time, without having to at least start counting your pennies.

petra

ReadyMeals

I couldn't survive on the state pension at all - our electricity bills are almost as high as that.

That’s some electricity bill. Approximately £11,500 a year.

Mine is more

Most people who only have the state pension as a source of income are eligible for an HC2 certificate. The eligibility threshold uses different criteria and is higher than Pension Credit. I know! My income is too high for Pension Credit, but I have an HC2 certificate.

win

petra

ReadyMeals

I couldn't survive on the state pension at all - our electricity bills are almost as high as that.

That’s some electricity bill. Approximately £11,500 a year.

Mine is more

Flipping heck! I pay £105 a month for electricity and gas and I'm in credit. My house is always toastie. That's £1260 a year, so your bill is more than nine times mine. Do you live in a stately home?

MOnica This thread is about surviving with illness on the state pension. From what you've posted previously, your DH has quite a bit more than the state pension.

A reminder of the OP: "Just wondering if it’s possible to survive just in the state pension if you have medical needs as well."

growstuff

MOnica This thread is about surviving with illness on the state pension. From what you've posted previously, your DH has quite a bit more than the state pension.

Yes this thread is about surviving illness on the state penssion, but my last post was pointing out that those pensioners just above the pension credit level are actually worse off than those on Pension Credit because they do not qualify for the bells and whistles, for example 6 weekly return taxi journeys from my village to the local main hospital at £100 a time is £600, and your pension would have to be would have to be way over SP level to pay that - yet any person with the same medical conditions as DH and on a pension up to about £50 a week more than the state pension, will qualify for no help - yet be faced with exorbitantly expensive taxi fares.

No way could I exist on my state pension plus small occupational one. We are fine as a couple, and DH would be almost fine on his own. Fortunately we have considerable savings (all earned by us basically having a third full-time income for 25 years via own business) but even they have been eaten up by travel costs for 30 radiotherapy trips, several trips for scans and other stuff, all 50 mile round trips, plus buying own medications for sore mouth, general pain relief etc etc. I now face £2k for essential dental treatment, had to say no to a replacement plate for my damaged front teeth, just spent £3k on hearing aids (hearing damaged by radiotherapy) and so on. Heating bills last year while having therapy were nearly £5k and my body still needs extra warmth.

DH has now been diagnosed with a fracture of his spine - more cost for private physio and will have to employ a gardener, cleaner and pay to have simple jobs done like changing a light bulb. Just bad luck for us, but others just couldn't do it.

It has always been the case that ill health has hidden costs - for people of all ages. This thread is about surviving on the state pension. My posts have shown some of the help available to people who do have to survive on state pension - hopefully, they help to answer the question for the OP. All people on a very low income can apply for an HC2 certificate, which I personally have found invaluable.

MOnica Once again ... eligibility for an HC2 certificate is not related to Pension Credit.

So, no ... a person on a pension up to £50 more than the state pension would probably be eligible for an HC2 Certificate (it depends on housing costs and savings), so would pay nothing at all.

Madmeg I do survive on the state pension, a small occupational pension and housing benefit (and I currently live alone). It makes me cross when people receiving any benefits are often attacked as feckless. However, when it's a question of personally having to survive on that amount, people claim they couldn't.

growstuff

Madmeg I do survive on the state pension, a small occupational pension and housing benefit (and I currently live alone). It makes me cross when people receiving any benefits are often attacked as feckless. However, when it's a question of personally having to survive on that amount, people claim they couldn't.

Which raises the whole question that State Pension is not benefits - but the darn Government keeps insisting on calling it "benefit" and I know a lot of us find it concerning that they persist in misnaming it and wonder whether they're planning on cutting it at some point.

The other issue being whether people actually on "benefit" (ie working age people then) can manage financially on it. I know that the periods of unemployment I suffered back in the 1980s resulted in benefit income that was too low to pay for any health costs (so the NHS had to pay for it and, if they wouldnt = I had to do without) and benefit (ie dole money) is noticeably lower in real terms than it was then.

Georgesgran

Definitely ‘piece of string’ situation.
There are benefits to be explored - Pension Credit, AA,
Carers Allowance too - my friend gets it for her son and gives him it for petrol money. Some benefits open the door to others. There are other ways to get to hospital appointments that using one’s own vehicle too - volunteer drivers/ambulance. My DWPension increased by £30 a month when DH died, but I’ve heard of people getting a lot more after their bereavement.

You can’t claim carer’s allowance if you are in receipt of the state pension, the person you care for can claim attendance allowance and pay you though.

Honestly I couldn’t survive on the state pension if I was healthy.