What happens if you can't afford your medication?

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I can btw, this is not a begging thread, but I'm taking the money from my savings, and I don't always have money in my savings, which has got me pondering.

If I didn't have savings and my asthma medication ran out, is there a scheme where I can buy now, pay later, or is it a case of risking death or needing A&E?

Are there any other life-saving medications you have to pay for, or is it just asthma? I know my mum gets free prescriptions because she needs thyroid medication, but that doesn't seem as serious or life-threatening as asthma to me.

What's the criteria for a medication being free, and why doesn't it seem to make sense?

Prescription charges are for each item not each prescription. For example, if your prescription has 3 medicines on it you will have to pay the prescription charge 3 times.

I was gonna make a suggestion to you but now I've read one of your comments I wont bother You are very VERY wrong If someone with a Thyroid Issue Mises Multipls Dosagea of their Medication yes they can Die I should know I have a thyroid Issue and take Muliple Medication for it

That's fine. If you read my op again, I didn't ask for suggestions. I asked what happens if people run out of medication (note people, not me) and don't have £10. Can they get their medication now and pay later, or do they have to go without?

And I asked why some conditions were exempt and other comparable ones weren't.

At no point did I ask for budgeting advice or advice on how I could buy an inhaler. I have one. I bought it this morning.

Did you post last week about not being able to afford an additional inhaler? Some posters suggested a review of your medication / over use of your inhaler?

Just asking - apologies if you’re not the same poster.

@Helpmefindmysoul No, I didn't, and last week I had a tenner without needing to use my savings, so it wouldn't have occurred to me to wonder what happens when people don't have a tenner. This week, that tenner has gone on the gas meter.

The posters assuming I use too much of my medication are assuming I use a separate reliever and preventative. I don't. I use the same one for both, so if it runs out and I can't afford to replace it, not only do I not have a preventative inhaler, but I don't have the emergency reliever either. That's what made me wonder what happens when people genuinely don't have enough.

I'm not privileged enough to assume everyone has access to a tenner they might need unexpectedly if they have a bad attack and use their medication sooner than antipicated but I am fortunate enough to have never had to consider this until today.

Thank you for clarifying.

It must be very tough if your prescription has run out and you cannot replace it.

I don’t have an answer to your initial question but there should be a review on what conditions are entitled to free prescriptions. I appreciate it’s difficult to draw the line somewhere but people are struggling not just with costs but a vast array of conditions which are often life long.

I actually know the answer now. I've been reading up after someone linked an article I found shocking. If people don't have the money, they go without. There are no schemes where you can get the medication now and pay it back later. There is no reason why some medications are free, and others aren't.

If people know they might not have enough, they ration medication to the detriment of their health. 54% of asthma sufferers have reported doing this, with many saying it made their condition worse, with a few needing hospitalisation and some dying.

In the wider population, 30% of adults with chronic conditions have reported rationing essential medication to reduce prescription costs.

I don't know the solution, but I do know forcing 30% of sufferers of chronic illnesses to ration life saving medication is not it.

The vast majority of people are covered and will be able to afford it in some way. Universal credit is free for most, with only those earning above a reasonable threshold not covered. There is a cheaper paid scheme that paid for by direct debit is affordable by all but a fairly small number of people even of those struggling. And the low income scheme should cover basically anyone who genuinely can't afford anything after all their bills and rent is paid. All admitted hospital patients get all medication free.

It's not perfect sure and I would like to see it improved.

But I do think the issue isn't as bad as it seems, and some of the issues are about people not being aware of what to access, not willing to miss out on something, or not budgeting well - which is itself shown to be something adults are terrible at today, and an education we should be trying to increase.

Just looked at what had come out of
my bank account last month for it! I didn’t realised it’s a 10 month a year payment rather than a 12 month one, didn’t look up the annual cost and have had it for years and am not about to cancel as I know it’s a damn sight cheaper than my separate prescriptions.

Can you order it online cheaper? It's my understanding that England is the only place in the UK with prescription costs. Prior to devolution in Scotland & NI when there were prescription charges you could apply for reduced costs based on means tested assessment. Some medications for chronic conditions were always provided free of charge. Perhaps that arrangement exists currently in England? CAB might be able to advise you.

I mean I’d assume if your asthma was getting bad and you couldn’t afford a prescription then they’d give you one at A&E after a long wait.

I think if people don’t have savings and they are desperate for medication they have to use either a credit card, overdraft facility or borrow £10 from family/friends. Though I am curious what your income is as you say you aren’t eligible for benefits or universal credit. I assumed someone who didn’t have £10 to spare would be on benefits/universal credit.

True, but that depends on you living long enough to make it to a hospital. Asthma doesn't always work that way. Some attacks come on slowly and can be relatively mild, some happen so fast and so severely that you're already dead by the time help arrives.

The girl linked in the article died in the ambulance on her way to the hospital. Paramedics have nebulisers and other potent asthma treatments, but by the time they reached her, it was too late. And does no one remember that poor boy who died at school a few years ago because he wasn't allowed to keep his inhaler on him? He died waiting for staff to fetch his inhaler.

Asthma can and does kill quickly and without warning, and the symptoms aren't always obvious enough for even the sufferers to know how serious an attack is.

Skipping or reducing doses of preventative medication increases the risk of sudden and severe attacks.

Ah, yes I see. Thanks for the explanation and sorry you are in that situation!

It's not free for most. You're expected to earn a minimum of £952 a month to be left alone. If you earn more than £935 a month and have LCWRA or DC,you lose free prescriptions

Universal credit gives it free for 100% of everyone just on universal credit.

Those who are working, are workers who also get some support from it of which plenty will get it free. Someone earning £940, with LCWRA is getting £1600 a month take home not including housing help. Someone with child support for one child and no LCWRA will get just under £1500 total not including housing help per month.

It's tight, but they can absolutely find around £11 a month for major health reasons. I would support it being even better though for sure.

Nothing you said really changes any of what I said.

Asthma can and does kill quickly and without warning, and the symptoms aren't always obvious enough for even the sufferers to know how serious an attack is. Skipping or reducing doses of preventative medication increases the risk of sudden and severe attacks.

Well then asthma sufferers need to take responsibility for their own health and budget accordingly to prioritise their access to life saving medication. The most anyone has to pay is a tenner a month. Anyone who doesn't qualify for free prescriptions should be able to afford that as long as they budget for it before they spend money on other, less important, things.

That's fine if you think this. The op is talking about the discrepancy between asthma and other chronic illnesses.

I agree that the discrepancy seems odd and they probably should review which meds are free. But we are where we are. Nobody needs to pay more than a tenner and those that have to pay for prescriptions should be able to afford that.

And yet we have seen deaths and exacerbations among asthmatics that can be attributed to inability to pay for the meds in the way in which that have been prescribed. So how things should work on paper, clearly aren't working out in practice.

I wonder, if this is simply a matter of cost principle, how much taxpayers are paying to fund expensive hospital admissions of asthmatic with poor compliance due to prescription costs and whether on this arguement alone, it would be more efficient to pony up for asthma prescription exemptions?

And yet we have seen deaths and exacerbations among asthmatics that can be attributed to inability to pay for the meds in the way in which that have been prescribed. So how things should work on paper, clearly aren't working out in practice.

We're seeing deaths and exacerbations due to asthmatics' inability/unwillingness to budget in a way that prioritises their vital medications. I don't believe there are people out there who cannot afford a tenner a month if they budget properly.

OMFG

We have a cost of living crisis. People have unexpected expenses. How do you budget when you have nothing?

There's always going to be people who are pennies over for support who can't afford medication

Where's your evidence that the reason for hospital admissions is because of asthmatics unwillingness to budget properly? It really isn't as simple as you're making out. Mine was difficult to control. I was lucky that I didn't end up in hospital

Do you think asthma is just mildly irritating, use your inhaler and you'd be ok?

I understand that many people don't have a tenner to spare at the end of the month. That's why they need to budget for this at the start of the month. Its a priority expense, it needs to come before other bills/expenses.

I didn't say hospital admissions are all due to budgeting issues. I meant if people are admitted because they "couldn't afford" their medication, that is due to poor budgeting.

Do you think asthma is just mildly irritating, use your inhaler and you'd be ok?

No. Where did I say or even imply this? I said these medications are vital.

You've never had an unexpected bill like your car needing repairs, your boiler replacing, etc?