The cost of Prescriptions

Mcem my daughter finally managed to get a blue badge...delivered by post yesterday.Shame she's havibg a bad week and cant drive ..but it will make a huge difference to her

I don't want, use or benefit from either free schools or HS2 mcem so not a fair /good comparison .

I was thinking about anything that I benefit from that you don't paddyann?

I was diagnosed 18 months ago with Rheumatoid Arthritis, I am 53 so have few years b4 retirement, I pay £10 month for Pre Pay Prescription, I think anyone with long term illnesses who's worked their whole life should be entitled to FREE Prescriptions, my taxes & NI go to others, just wrong! This country has gone to pot with everything! Seems those who have nothing get everything, no justice!

paddyann I have pm'd you about Liver Transplant units around the country.
Paw had his in London 20 years ago but also had treatment at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary 6 months later when we were on holiday in Edinburgh.
Is there a danger this thread is deteriorating into a "we don't have/they have thread" ?
And £10 a month is the cost of 4 lattes, and no I do not agree that the country has gone to pot and there is no justice NickyJo, what are you implying?

maw I agree. I do feel sorry for people with chronic illnesses (personally I'm asthmatic and use a prophlactic inhaler every day) but someone has to pay for these drugs, and £10 a month does not seem unreasonable. I used to get very bad migraines and occasionally had to buy an emergency tablet, and trust me, having to do that really opens your eyes to the cost of drugs!

In the end it's the luck of the draw as to what we need in the way of medical care.

But we don't have to put up with the luck of the draw and therefore pay for the rest of our medical care do we? Just the prescriptions. And as others have said, some conditions ( on a very out dated list) give you exemptions. Also many people with chronic conditions have to spend more money because of them - trips to hospital ( bus, petrol, taxi, parking costs) . Some have to have a more e restricted and expensive diet. Or extra heating costs. May have to pay for someone to clean or garden for them. The cost of prescriptions is for many people with chronic conditions only one of the extra costs they have to bear ( and that's before the pain, suffering and emotional costs they may bear too). It's the luck of the draw that some people have chronic conditions, the rest of us should be happy to at last let them have free prescriptions - and the only way I can see to do that is to make them free for everyone and everyone pays for that through general taxation.

One of the oddities is that some conditions mean the patient qualifies for free prescriptions, I think diabetes is one of them, whereas other chronic conditions like RA do not. RA / inflammatory arthritis patients often need multiple prescriptions. I resolved it by paying annually. As has been said, it wasn't expensive when compared to the cost of the drugs I was given.

But Iam is that the point? Why should anyone pay and especially for life changing/affecting chronic conditions?

maryeliza, I agree that life changing chronic health problems should all be treated equally. I'm not convinced any of us should get say paracetamol on prescription when it can be bought so cheaply at the supermarket. People on certain benefits do get free prescriptions as do children.

I was talking about the equity of some people having to pay and not others - we don't make anyone pay for say a visit to the GP so why do we make some pay for a prescription? Also, the people I was thinking about with chronic conditions are not being prescribed paracetamol but drugs that keep them alive and healthy. I think that's a really poor example but even then, there are issues about how many paracetamol you can buy at one time if you buy them without a prescription. ,

devongirl I feel sorry for people with chronic illnesses too. For the last 20 years DH has taken 12 different meds once, twice or thrice a day. Not counting his creams and inhalers. His prescriptions are collected from Boots in plastic carrier bags and until he was of pensionable age he paid a prepaid charge each year . In those days I think it might have been about £80-90 ish pounds (?)
Bargain.
For much of that time he was not earning and on ESA but not once did anybody suggest he was entitled to free meds. I don't even know if he was!
My objection is to the weeping and wailing and "there's no justice in the World" , "the country is going to the dogs" (blame the spongers/immigrants/single parents/whoever)" tone of many of these posts. Prescriptions are expensive, DRUGS are expensive and if anybody can buy them over the counter for less -do so.

Randomrose22 I agree! We have more disposable income than we have ever had, both having an income, no mortgage, children grown etc but get free prescriptions. Surely the government can work out which over 60s are still employed?!

It's rare that I am glad that I am disabled, but when it comes to prescriptions I certainly am! I have 17 medications to take each day, plus paracetamol and an un-bunging tablet that I do pay for myself as I think it's ridiculous to expect to get those on prescription. I read somewhere yesterday that chemists can now sell previously prescribed medication but can't remember the ins and outs of it

We don't pay to see our GP currently maryliza but I'm sure you will have read that one suggestion to support our NHS is to charge say £10 a visit.
Presumably those on benefits that allow them to have free prescriptions, or children, would still be seen without charge. For people with chronic health conditions a £10 charge is likely to prohibit them seeing the doctor. Oh yes, that's the point isn't it.
I'd increase taxes to fund the NHS but I still believe we should play our part in trying to lessen the pressure on it. Don't use A and E unnecessarily, ask the pharmacist for advice about whether you need to see a doctor or can you buy something to ease symptoms that are unlikely to be life threatening.

I am now a pensioner so I get my prescriptions free of charge.

I have for almost 20 years had chronic illnesses that require treating and until I became a pensioner I had to pay , even though I was on benefits.

Before I became of pension age I bought a yearly prepaid subscription and I never begrudged one penny that I spent on prescriptions.

Just to say I needed a course of antibiotics when I was in South America and it cost £65. Checked if I had been ripped off and this was the price the drug company charged + a small amount for the pharmacist. I don't think we always realise how expensive drugs are. I think the Prepay NHS certificate is a bargain!

Just because you're over 60 and still employed wouldn't mean you are well off. That's far too broad a brush. Does anyone think that we should means test all over 60s for prescription charges? And then what about the under 18s-many of them have parents who could easily afford to pay for their children's prescriptions. Then what about well off people with Type 1 diabetes? I'm looking foe equity and logic in paying for prescriptions and I can't find in the current system.

maryeliza surely you don't begrudge paying £10 a month for drugs? If there was no prescription charge, there would be even less money to support the NHS than there currently is.

There could be more from taxation couldn't there rather than raising the money from those unlucky enough to need prescriptions. What I'm trying to say, very badly, is that the present system is illogical and unfair. I never needed any regular medication before I was 60 so it's nothing personal. I just don't see how any one can defend the current system. But more fundamentally, I don't see why only those who need a prescription should pay and those lucky enough not to, don't. We don't do that with the rest of health care ( excluding of course optical and dental charges which I would argue are also unfair in how they operate). Also as I said above, some people paying regularly for prescriptions have other costs associated with their ill health and so it's not just the £10 a month illness costs them.

I don't see why only those who need a prescription should pay and those lucky enough not to, don't
Well that is a fundamental sticking point isn't it?
Personally if I am costing he NHS more because of meds etc etc I don't object to paying for them, but that was not the original philosophy behind the NHS was it?
I fear "needs must".

Yesterday I was diagnosed with COPD, and prescribed THREE inhalers, on top of my usual other monthly prescription.

Like gillybob I too have bought a 3 month pre paid certificate. So, I am paying £9.70 a month, instead of £34.40.

I can live with that, more annoyed about the ever moving goalposts for pensions! That is MY money, that I have paid in!

I used to need a lot of medication on a regular basis and so bought an annual pre-payment certificate. It worked out much cheaper and I thought it was entirely reasonable,

Be glad you don t live in Ireland you pay someone around €50 just to see the doctor even for kids then your script on top of that Paying for hospital tests, X-rays, mammograms, smears etc etc as for teeth don't even think about it

Hi BlueBelle, I'm in Ireland and I get a mammogram free ever 3 years and my hernia op only cost me €75 for my one night stay in hospital because I reacted badly to the anaesthetic otherwise, if I'd gone home the same day, it would have been completely free of charge.