NHS Drug Prices

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Sarah
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Re: NHS Drug Prices

Post by Sarah » Sat Jul 03 2021 10:40pm

The tories propose to raise the age of eligibility for free NHS prescriptions in England from 60 to 66 (and ultimately 68+):
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cons ... ension-age
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Re: NHS Drug Prices

Post by Richard Frost » Sat Jul 03 2021 11:12pm

Sarah wrote:
Sat Jul 03 2021 10:40pm
The tories propose to raise the age of eligibility for free NHS prescriptions in England from 60 to 66 (and ultimately 68+):
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cons ... ension-age
No surprise there then, I am surprised they did not come up with this earlier.

Cost England £9.00 per item
Scotland £0 per item
Wales £0 per item
Northern Ireland £0 per item
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Re: NHS Drug Prices

Post by macliam » Sat Jul 03 2021 11:58pm

I have had to buy my prescription medicines "over the counter" in Portugal. 3 items, one bought X2 to match the package contents of the others.... Therefore 4 prescription items every 2 months.... UK cost £9.35*4 = £37.40 (if I wasn't exempt), over-the-counter cost in Portugal under £15.

Items are identical (but from different manufacturers), but obviously the big killing is on non-generics.....
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Re: NHS Drug Prices

Post by pabenny » Sun Jul 04 2021 9:14am

Sarah wrote:
Sat Jul 03 2021 10:40pm
The tories propose to raise the age of eligibility for free NHS prescriptions in England from 60 to 66 (and ultimately 68+):
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cons ... ension-age
I'm supportive of this one. It's inconsistent to have one age for state pension and multiple other ages for other age-related benefits and concessions.
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Re: NHS Drug Prices

Post by blythburgh » Sun Jul 04 2021 9:27am

What makes me angry is the list of illnesses that can get free prescriptions. There are other illnesses that fill the rules that give some free prescriptions but do not get them.

And if your prescription is for two items that are basically for one prescription you have to pay the £9 twice.
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Sarah
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Re: NHS Drug Prices

Post by Sarah » Sun Jul 04 2021 11:09am

pabenny wrote:
Sun Jul 04 2021 9:14am
I'm supportive of this one. It's inconsistent to have one age for state pension and multiple other ages for other age-related benefits and concessions.
I'm definitely not. It's essentially a tax increase on being ill or needing medication, especially long term conditions that don't qualify for exemptions. The affected 60+ age group are increasingly likely to need prescriptions, regardless of whether or not they're still working. This proposal could be a hit of £800+ on people with low incomes.
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Re: NHS Drug Prices

Post by pabenny » Sun Jul 04 2021 11:29am

"A tax increase on being ill" is the sort of emotive rhetoric used when the facts/evidence doesn't support their case. Of course it's true that the age group affected are more likely to need medication than younger age groups. But equally true that they're less likely to need meds and more likely to be working/have income than they were when the exemption was introduced more than 50 years ago.

It isn't £800+ (and shouldn't be for anyone).
- Low incomes potentially qualify for free prescriptions;
- For anyone that doesn't qualify, a prepayment certificate costs around £10/month. If you're paying for several items in one go pharmacies are required to point out the benefit of a PPC. If you can't afford one, you also can't afford to pay the fee the items being dispensed.
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Re: NHS Drug Prices

Post by macliam » Sun Jul 04 2021 11:50am

The age of 60 was never the general pension age, so where is the link? It's just smoke and mirrors, a way to raise revenue and likely to affect most those who can least afford it, a common Tory ploy. 60 is the age used in many medical calculations because, like it or not, it is the age where things "start to happen". Colon cancer scanning starts at 60, should we also put this off for a few years? That would cut the number of claimants for the State Pension!

My medication is preventative, due to age calculations (based on age 60) which show that preventative measures beyond this age result in a drop in the incidence of age-related issues, thus saving resource and cost for the NHS.
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Re: NHS Drug Prices

Post by Sarah » Sun Jul 04 2021 12:32pm

pabenny wrote:
Sun Jul 04 2021 11:29am
It isn't £800+ (and shouldn't be for anyone).
That £800+ ballpark figure is based on approximately 8 years of PPCs, surely not unrealistic for some, myself included; other than playing the gap game with 3 month certificates, I'd fully expect it to cost roughly that much.
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Re: NHS Drug Prices

Post by expressman33 » Sun Jul 04 2021 12:51pm

Sarah wrote:
Sun Jul 04 2021 12:32pm
other than playing the gap game with 3 month certificates,
I have been getting regular medication since I was about 50 , until I was 60 I managed to make 2 x 3 monthly PPC's get enough medication for over a year.
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