What happens if you can't afford your medication?

[Frequency]

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?

Im sorry but if you are psying £10 dd a month you for prescription pre payment , you prioritise it.people need to take responsibility for them selves. Also the charities that advocate for asthmatics should be promoting the certificate, . There are also signs up in the chemist.
As i said those articles you quoted are misleading

I've not noticed any signs in my local pharmacy, maybe they're in bigger ones, but they're not in the ones I go to. My GP has never mentioned it to me. I only know of them because of MN.

Prioritise it over what? Food? Heat? Commuting costs? School equipment for your kids? If you do not have £10 left after other essentials, you don't have £10 left. It doesn't matter if it's £10 cash, £10 direct debit, or £10 worth of diamonds. If you don't have it, you don't have it. Or are we back to assuming all these people are choosing to buy a coffee instead?

Yes, pre payment covers all prescriptions. If you need more than one prescription a month then it's worth having the pre payment.

We bought Ventolin Salbutamol OTC in Spain. €2! Maybe get someone to bring it back for you if you know anyone going there or other countries where it's cheap OTC?. Not sure about the rules on bringing it back, we didn't have any trouble or get searched but took the uk prescription with us.

Prioritise it over what? Food? Heat? Commuting costs? School equipment for your kids?

Yep, prioritise it. You are unlikely to starve or die of hyperthermia if you

Even if you live paycheck to paycheck - pay for the cert which is under £10 per month, I think because we have a mostly free NHS people expect 100% free. A small contribution from people, of working age who are not unemployed is very, very reasonable.

It is weird. I'm in remission now, but I had an overactive thyroid, those prescriptions weren't free, even though it can kill you.

Again, does it matter what people should or could be doing when the evidence shows that a number of people aren't, and the end result is they get sicker and cost the NHS more longterm or they die?

People have died because they couldn't afford their medication. Do you have an acceptable number of preventable deaths in mind before you would agree the system is not working?

Frequency, do you have any practical suggestions to encourage the small minority of people that are not entitled to free prescriptions, because their household incomes are too high, to budget 31p a day towards the annual prescription charge?

I think that should be the focus, since the medication is already free to for the most vulnerable in society. Yes prioritise your medication over other costs, your heating would not be massively affected if you needed to save 31p a day. It probably equates to turning off a few lights and not boiling the kettle as many times. I think people could do this if they were aware of how inexpensive the pre payment is.

@Cars4Gov No, because I am not naive enough to believe that whatever is done to save 31p a day, that money won't be spent on something equally essential further down the line. I also think it is insulting to assume that someone living from payday to payday to the point where they're unable to cover all of the essentials isn't already doing everything they're able to lower costs.

One suggestion to improve the system would be what I mentioned in the OP, some kind of buy now, pay later scheme to help those whose cashflow problems are short-term rather than chronic. A number of those reporting not picking up prescriptions or skipping doses will fall under that category.

£10 a month less on heating isn't going to make that much difference. No one is saying go without heat at all but it is about prioritising. If a health condition is that bad that without medication it is life threatening then it needs to be budgeted before other things. So for me it would be rent/mortgage, food and then medication.

To save £10 a month you could reduce shopping by £1 a week and heating by £2 a week. I know things can be tight but that doesn't seem a huge reduction to guarantee your health.

It would also be useful to have a pay weekly scheme for the prepaid cards, like they do with TV licenses and water rates, where you can call into a post office or paypoint and pay £x per week. That would help people who are paid weekly and struggle with monthly bills, and those who are reluctant to start new direct debits.

You missed quite a few things that need to come before medication if you want to avoid expensive fines further down the road and maintain employment, like council tax, power, water rates, and travel costs to work and medical appointments.

If all those things add up to more than your income, how do you pay for medication then? What do you cut back on? Work? Medical appointments? Your council tax and pay the fine when? If you're already using as little power as possible, what else would you cut? Stop washing your clothes and go to work stinking?

One of the people quoted in the survey had a chronic pain condition. Do you really think someone living with chronic pain is opting to have a few extra cups of tea or a carton of ice cream in their weekly shop above buying their pain medication?

If missing medication is life threatening then a person would not be able to go to work to pay their bills anyway so your points are meaningless.

I understand your reluctance to buy the annual prepay with a Direct Debit. But, if you can get to a point where it's possible to save £32.05, you really should consider getting the 3 month one.

Then order the meds every 25-28 days during the certificate period of 90 days and you will have 4 inhalers for £8.01 each.

If you can manage to do this 3 times in a year, that would get you 12 inhalers in a 9 month period for £96.15. This would save you £22, or a lot more should you need any other prescriptions during the times you hold a certificate.

i would contact asthma uk
try and persuade them to lobby for free prescriptions for inhalers
diabetics get free prescriptions

i would order yours monthly,
pay for it on pay day if you can

Then you buy a monthly prescription. Think it’s £12 a month but covers as many as need

only works out if need to buy over one a month every month

I have 4 meds monthly so way worth my while

My son has 3 items on repeat prescription every 2-3 weeks.He's set up a direct debit himself of c£10pcm on a prepay and thinks it's a bargain ! He's 16yrs old,on an apprenticeship.

I do think it’s very unfair asthmas don’t get for free. It’s literally a case of life and death

maybe all essential life saving meds should be free but if say antib for a toe infection they pay for that one

A prepayment certificate is available which can save a lot of money. You pay a set amount and that covers everything.

Just put the weekly amount you would pay into a jar then and save it?? If you want to pay weekly you can save it weekly yourself!

Yes! Going to work having only had a sink wash not a shower is less important than dying. Your kids can borrow friends rulers or ask school for spares… none of this is more important than your medication.

Which inhaler is it you take @Frequency? Are you doing the MART regime?

OP has not used the abbreviation MART but she has described her medicine as both maintenance and reliever. She has also said her inhaler is red and I believe red inhalers are reserved for MART therapy.