Prescription charges for the over sixties

NannyJan53

I received 'free' prescriptions at 60. I reached State Pension Age at 64 1/2.

It seems to me this is the slow journey to privatise the NHS by the back door. There are already minor procedures being charged for, (ie removing ear wax which Mum aged 91 had to pay £50 for recently at Boots) which used to be done by your GP surgery. Anyone who voted Tory surely must have realised this was going to happen, despite their vehement denials at election time.

You do realise the biggest privatisation was done under the last Labour Government. My GP surgery still does ear rinsing, but on the whole it is discouraged, softening ear drops will work over time, as more damage can be done by syringing it out.

nanna8

You’re lucky. We have to pay though it is reduced after you turn 65. I think in most countries you would have to pay. Sense of entitlement going on here.

Absolutely agree. My family in Germany have to pay compulsory health insurance. All have to pay ,wether working o working or not, but their access to care is amazing. MRI done within 24 hrs, varicose vein removal, under light sedation, can’t get mine done at all. The trouble is all our taxes go into one pot, Germany keep theirs separate and people can claim money back.

It seems very cruel and unjust to charge sick people for their treatment when during the last year extortionate sums were given to others, for goods that were not delivered or substandard ( is this money going to be refunded) and payment of work (£6000 plus per day for one person?).

I am not good at maths but £13.5 billion debt divided by £350 million saved each week should be counted in the sum as promised for the NHS. Maybe a mathematician could do the sums.

Lin52

nanna8

You’re lucky. We have to pay though it is reduced after you turn 65. I think in most countries you would have to pay. Sense of entitlement going on here.

Absolutely agree. My family in Germany have to pay compulsory health insurance. All have to pay ,wether working o working or not, but their access to care is amazing. MRI done within 24 hrs, varicose vein removal, under light sedation, can’t get mine done at all. The trouble is all our taxes go into one pot, Germany keep theirs separate and people can claim money back.

Same for France and I have had no problem even through covid, I see my doctor face to face in a couple of days ( I am not in the countryside). Hospital and dental appointments were quick and my neighbours have had cancer treatment and hip replacements.

If you are on a low income you need to complete form HC1.

This is a PDF that you can download. www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcosts/Documents/2016/HC1-April-2016.pdf

This is a form you can complete online. www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-low-income-scheme

You can also get hard copy forms from some dentists, opticians, doctors and pharmacies but not all stock them.

Depending on your income and savings you could also qualify for free dentistry, free eye tests and glasses, wigs, appliances and bus fares to hospital appointments.

I just want to mention that not all pensioners are well off.
I most definitly am not.

And, pensioners who are not well off should get free everything. But those who are better off shouldn"t.

When it comes to healthcare, everybody should get free everything.

It would cost more to administer if some over 60’s who work have to pay whilst many over 60’s are retired and could not pay £9 per item especially as often they are on polymedication! It’s not unusual to have 4-5 different meds, think £9 is excessive anyway,

kittylester that's not fair though either because they set the threshold too low. Having to pay for these things can drop someone into the area of not being able to afford other essentials.

Surprised? Everything is going up and sure not first benefit to be took back! Got make millions of pounds to pay for last nearly two years wasted money!!!

I am furious that they are making over 60's pay for their prescriptions and as for saying pensioners are well off some are not despite having private pension because the private pension is only small. We paid into the system, and we deserve the free bus passes, heating allowances and free prescriptions. Not all pensioners are comfortably off. Some are just above the threshold for pension credit. I do NOT support this.

I am 60 and a carer for my husband who is the same age, he is unable to work , likewise myself as I have to care for him. We are in the lucky position of having paid off our mortgage ( basically by going without foreign holidays , new cars etc when we were working ) He gets basic PIP , and ESA and I carers allowance. That is it as we do have over the threshold in savings . We live off what we receive . One of the plus points of reaching 60 was free prescriptions . I already feel robbed of not getting a bus pass / pension until I'm 67

That's £36 a month for me then. Ate well, kept myself fit and healthy, never smoked, drink little and all my problems are due to 'age' according to the unhelpful consultant. And now I will, in effect, have to pay for my treatment.

Why charge under 60s so much, and over 60s nothing. Why not just charge everybody a small amount for every prescription? Apparently, there’s a very small percentage of people who pay for their prescriptions.

For those saying that £9 is high, maybe they should ask their doctors what the actual cost of the items they're being prescribed is.

If an item is cheaper than the £9 NHS prescription charge you can ask the doctor to write a private prescription (yes, NHS doctors can do this) then when you get to the pharmacy you'll be charged the actual cost of the items.

Totally agree. Having worked as a district nurse for many years, I saw so much waste due in part to over prescribing by GP’s. So many medications just were not being taken and six monthly reviews were as rare as Rocking Horse poo!

For once I am glad that I am 70 next month and thus will not have to pay even if they do change things as they want to put it in line with the pensionable age. Also glad that DH at 67 falls in line too as he would need to take out a mortgage to pay for all the medication he relies on.

I think prescription charges are criminal. My son is a student and is expected to pay £9 an item despite the fact he is on a low income with a congenital disorder (EDS) and asthma which requires regular treatment with painkillers. His disorder or asthma is not recognised as needing free prescriptions. Meanwhile, well-off pensioners will get theirs free. I am entitled to free prescriptions because of my diabetes so have no personal axe to grind.
The trouble with insisting people pay such a high price for prescriptions is that people put off getting the medication and that can be life threatening. There has got to be a better way.
My daughter (also asthmatic and with EDS) was on benefits when she was at her worst so she was entitled to free prescriptions. When her husband returned to work, the DWP made a mistake with her benefits and told her she was getting one which meant she was still entitled to free prescriptions. However, when they realised their mistake, they decided they wanted the tax credits back (£7000), took her PIP away and changed her benefit to one which doesn't get free prescriptions. As she had just picked up a prescription, a couple of weeks later she got a fine for not paying. She had to ring a number which cost quite a lot per minute and she was on there for a long time before being cut off. She was beside herself because now she had a fine and a huge phone bill, both of which she paid because it was causing her such distress. Now she tries to avoid prescriptions because she can't afford them and even though they sorted out her benefits status she is afraid to rely on them. The Tax credits are still being repaid out of her reinstated PIP.

While I was of working age my GP used to write me a private prescription for occasional items which often were only a couple of pounds , instead of me having to pay full prescription price . He was a great doctor but sadly retired now .

TBH I’ve always thought it daft that relatively comfortably-off over 60s should pay nothing, though exactly how they’d discriminate I don’t know - presumably it’d have to be anyone in receipt of benefits apart from the standard pension.

A friend of ours who had plenty of money used to stockpile masses of around half a dozen different prescription items, only for the whole lot to be thrown away every now and then. I once counted over 60 items in his bathroom - it would make me really mad to see them, knowing that most would be wasted.

And the thing was, despite having plenty he was really tight with money - I’m quite sure that if he’d had to pay even £2-3 per item, he’d never have taken so many that he didn’t need. Even paracetamol, which anyone can buy for pennies in the supermarket.

If I had to pay £9 for each item on my monthly prescription, I would probably end up in a box because I seriously cannot afford it. Reaching 60 and receiving free prescriptions has been a godsend to me. I have worked all my life and still do, but at minimum wage levels (I have always worked with children which is appallingly paid). I have paid tax and NI from the age of 16 and have another 7 years minimum of working to simply exist. I will be exceedingly upset if this changes. We are not all well off.

When I turned 60, I just wasn't charged from that date - previously I had paid monthly for my prescriptions on the season ticket system that was basically the same as paying for just one item (at the time I had 5 different items)
If they are thinking about this, what about the other "benefits" that start when you turn 60? Free sight tests and NHS dental treatment?
If any items were cheaper than £9 in the past, my GP always used to tell me to buy from the chemists over the counter to save money!

I think that anyone who has responded to this thread would do well to complete the survey

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/aligning-the-upper-age-for-nhs-prescription-charge-exemptions-with-the-state-pension-age

Free prescriptions are the only state support I have ever had…(no kids so no child benefit, not claimed unemployment benefits for the last 30 years, and then for a very short space of time…days, I think, and having to continue working until 68 before being able to claim a pension.)
So I like not having to pay prescription charges. Not that I need many.
I remember when prescriptions cost 20p….
And when I think that politicians have ensured that their mates have got preferential treatment….they are the ones who should pay.