Prescription charges for the over sixties

I like many thousands of other gals my age(65) ISH are currently without our pensions that we were expecting and for which we were paying a rate for all our working lives. A gap of 7years means I'll be writing off (gov stealing ) over £64k in total. So, why should we be slapped again with prescription charges? .why does everyone moan "poor youngsters) ? We all HAD to work we HAD to pay tax NI and some of us pension contributions as well , no choice. No benefits for us! We were told we would retire at 60.we were paying a rate as if we WOULD. Retire at 60. We have been conned and robbed of our contributions. When the "youngsters" have worked full time 40 hours/week with 21 days' leave or less, no foreign holidays no new cars no fancy houses as we were all struggling to pay for 15% mortgages and HP etc etc whilst trying to finance feeding clothing children whilst under threat of instant dismissal for- well anything and nothing really! Prior to current employment laws being introduced I was vistim to what's now called "unfair dismissal" no less than 4 times! And still had to pay bills .andonandon... We bloody well DESERVE our pensions .THEY'RE OUR SAVINGS that we DID WITHOUT an awful lot to secure a comfortable retirement. When the moaners have done all that , then they can criticise. Why have we got so much?? BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN WORKING FOR 40YEARS+ NON STOP FOR IT!!!!

The cut off for payment recognised the older members of population are mire likely to be ill and could incur costs for medications. Not all of those who are not on benefits can afford to pay for prescriptions. NI and Scotland do not charge for prescriptions. This move was decided many years ago allegedly because the cost of administering the payment system outweighed having a no charge system. Wonder how many businesses could survive on that principle.

There are lots of anomalies in the prescription charge system. I have been exempt from charges as I am on regular medication which qualifies me for free prescriptions. At one time I also had a card to allow free prescriptions because I was claiming tax credits, so amongst the working poor. When I passed 60 I no longer needed these exemption cards and now I'm retired at 66 so hopefully won't be charged.

What always puzzled me was that my regular medication exemption also qualified me for free prescriptions if I needed antibiotics or some other 'one-off' treatment. Obviously I didn't complain as I wasn't well off and mostly had the exemption because of tax credits anyway but it doesn't make sense for some situations. It is probably cheaper to extend the exemptions to save costly administration. Some people on regular medication are not exempt - it depends what it is for.

StephLP In NI many surgeries have stopped prescribing painkillers and other meds which can be bought OTC and cost much more to prescribe. And also many people who are entitled to free scripts were getting them free for other family members who don't qualify for exemption. Its ridiculous that people would do this for something as simple as paracetamol. Someone further up thread said many aren't even taken. I think a charge would prevent all this abuse but not £9.
I don't think the government takes enough care deciding who should pay and who shouldnt. It needs a complete overhaul.
Also many people wouldn't mind paying more contributions if they knew it went directly to the NHS.

Speaking as someone who lives on the full State Pension and therefore doesn't qualify for Pension Credit, due to being just a few pounds per week over the limit, there must be quite a lot of us who would lose the various benefits - prescriptions, bus passes, annual heating allowance - and really be affected by the loss.

If the government wants to find money to help after the pandemic, I suggest that they start looking in the pockets of Dido Harding, Matt Hancock's mates and all the others who did extremely well out of Covid. I think that they have a colossal nerve to squander billions of public money and then look to us to make up the shortfall.

If they stopped prescribing cheap drugs like paracetamol they would save a fortune!

They mention deferring it until the person is 66 - thats the age at which people are currently getting the state pension so that seems reasonable to me.
Presumably the current concessions for people of a lower age will still apply - like exemption on specified medical grounds, and for people on certain benefits.

But maybe a whole reform of the prescription system would be fair.

We wouldn’t mind paying at all, as we are comfortable financially. However, as with anything else, I would worry about those who can’t afford it, and would always help anyone we knew about.

As long as the whole of the United kingdom takes a hit and not just England as we are the only ones paying for any perscriptions.Dont worry there will be cuts into all services by every governmentvdept and local authorities in the future to pay for this covid debacle.
As for our grandchildren and great grandchildren they will be taxed to death to pay for it!!!

wrt 'cheap items' part of the problem is 'some' people in care settings need prescription labelled things in order to use them, like aqueous cream for example or paracetamol.

People in receipt of carers allowance and caring 24/7 for someone but claiming no other benefits have to pay for prescriptions and dental treatment. I have always thought this is very wrong.

At the moment I am on seven different medications, I would not want to pay for them! The tax system needs changing so that things like free prescriptions and bus passes are classed as a "benefit in kind" thus would be much cheaper to do than means testing.

jaylucy

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!

NHS dental treatment isn't free for people over 60.

Would be fairer for all if we paid £5 per item, unless having proof of an income related benefit - then free.

Would discourage us from getting NHS to pay for very cheap items and encourage us to only get what we value. Retain 'bulk' discount for those who do need a lot of medications.

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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 .

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.

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.

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 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.

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.