Change free prescriptions to state pension age?

Anything that can be bought.
He's quite mercenary.

MissAdventure

My gp won't prescribe anything that can be bought.

Do you mean like paracetamol or aspirin.....or more expensive OTC stuff? ....I have a few OTC items on repeat....would add up if I had to pay for them

sazz1

Some pensioners are only a couple of pounds over the pension credit limit. Others can't get a job as employers are quite ageist. This is a terrible idea as some will go without seeing GP because of cost of medicines. Not everyone just has 1 item every now and again

This is certainly true.

That's so very true.

So you believe that all medication upto pension age should be paid for, although someone mentioned Hrt and asthma.

What about a person of 63 for example that has just received a transplant and requires 3 different anti-rejection drugs? Should they have to wait and hope the transplanted organ is not rejected.

Unless your are doctors, none of you have any idea what drugs should and should not be paid for, and for what reason, and at what age.

In Scotland all prescriptions are free no matter age. Been the system for a good number of years. Apparently, as advised by Scot Gov at the time of introduction the vost of administration outweighed the cost of the prescriptions. I was amazed that when going to buy hayfever meds (usually buy at supermarkets) there was no charge. Never hear any queries about the cost. Maybe whole of UK should look at the cost of systems although perhaps Scot Gov is frightened to reintroduce charges as they'd lose even the 9 MPs they have.

For those of you complaining about free prescriptions for people living in Scotland can I just say that firstly, we have a devolved parliament and can therefore decide for ourselves where our money is spent. I'm pleased that my taxes are used for free prescriptions, free university fees and free travel for those under 23 and over 60.
Secondly, there are 6 tax bands here and we pay more in tax than people living in England, particularly those on higher incomes. Maybe England should adopt our way of taxation 🤔 Just a thought.

Some pensioners are only a couple of pounds over the pension credit limit. Others can't get a job as employers are quite ageist. This is a terrible idea as some will go without seeing GP because of cost of medicines. Not everyone just has 1 item every now and again

I was under the impression NI was meant to cover NHS and Pension needs, for a long time we have been robbing current workers to pay our pensions.
None of us have paid close to the cost ourselves, something has to change, we have to protect those that can’t pay, the rest of us must pay more.

Oh, I wasn't saying it was cheap or expensive (my first pay packet was £16 a week before offtakes in 1976 ). I was saying I couldn't remember whether that was for 1 item or more. Probably not very clearly.

Doodledog

It used to be 20p for a prescription when I first started paying. I can't remember whether that was a flat fee or per item, as I rarely needed them in those halcyon days.

Yes but when you started working you probably earned £5 a week.

When I was a young wife in the 70s and 80s I was living hand to mouth and often left my regular prescriptions unfilled because I simply couldn’t afford to pay for them. I hate to think of others being in the same boat now. 😥

It used to be 20p for a prescription when I first started paying. I can't remember whether that was a flat fee or per item, as I rarely needed them in those halcyon days.

Here in Wales, there is no charge for prescriptions. Nobody pays anything and there are no parking charges at hospitals either. But the Welsh NHS is in an even worse state than England, partly because we have a larger older population. I am a Labour supporter but feel that there should be a nominal charge for prescriptions for those who can afford it.

How about a set £1 fee for every prescription regardless of number of items. For everyone!
It would save on administrative costs, checking who’s entitled to free etc.
But then I guess that initial fee would be increased in every budget we have.

Women having opinions is not 'bleating'.

As it happens I largely agree with what you say, but the dismissive way you write off those who don't is unpleasant. Also, why the !! if you think complaining about paying NI is 'bleating'? I pay NI, and don't mind, but I do object to those who opt out of working basically opting out of paying towards anything. There should be a universal tax and universal benefits.

Totally agree !!! OR better still adopt the regime I lived under in France ….pay a medical insurance fee every month …. Would help fund the NHS …PLUS all these new drugs people expect to get free the minute they are announced !!! Ok …. Doubtless people will as usual bleat about paying NI all their working lives (and if Revell has her way pensioners soon be paying NI again !!) … but it is simply not enough to cover an aging population….. the original idea of cradle to grave cover was in an era when life expectancy was around 60 years …..needs a thorough rent y INDEPENDENT bodies !😡

I think stopping free prescriptions in Scotland and Wales would result in a generally more poorly population, and I think women would suffer the most. Personally, I would need to go without my meds in order to feed my children, pay for school uniforms and have the heating on.

For pension credit.

No, free prescriptions are very useful to me, I have repeat prescriptions every couple of months. Let those Jack's who can afford it or don't agree with it just pay for theirs, simple.
I really dislike it when people who can afford it want things stopped for the many, especially those who are just a couple of pounds over pension credit, who will be worse of not getting the consessions.

I think it is too complex to work out fairly, really.

I'm thinking that whilst cancer meds are free, lots of people are left with health issues caused by the cancer, or the chemo.
There will be people who are on the cusp, with regards to free prescriptions, and people who have far worse problems than pensioners.

It is unworkable, and I'm not convinced any savings would be worth it.

No don’t agree with charging pensioners for prescriptions - slippery slope

MissAdventure

There is nothing to stop people who can manage without free prescriptions from not ticking the box and providing proof they're exempt.
I doubt many people did that, though.

I've thought about that 'option'.

I'm not sure which segment the money allocated to the NHS covers free prescriptions, but I did wonder where it would end up if I didn't tick the box. I mean, if many of us did that - would it all stay in the 'pot' so to speak and ease the next Quarter's budget sort of thing, leaving a surplus which the government would remove - you know, like they do when departments have to spend-up their allocated budget, otherwise it's redirected back to the treasury to be spent on, well, who knows?

I honestly think that if people believed this money was going directly to one of the NHS front-line services - more people (me included at one time) would tick the box. As it is, it just seems like a rather futile gesture - who's going to benefit from it?

Anyway, now that my partner has complex diseases that require medication that will give him a reasonable, if short, further quality of life - and me, after 2 cancer diagnoses resulting in multiple surgeries, and similar amounts of medication to keep me functioning as his carer - neither of us, at 82, can afford this gesture

I'm just thinking out loud MissAdventure .

What do you think?

this was proposed a few years ago by Boris Johnson's government. There was a feedback survey . Obviously the outcome did not change the age limit. Generally people who have a long term need such as diabetes, thyroid etc should have free prescriptions but why should a person who has an income of over £30k a year get free prescriptions when a working couple (who may not earn that much between them) have to pay?

Oh yes, I see now.
I'm a spring chicken, you see.