What should be free but isn't

[mummyrabbitpeppapig]

I'll start. Sanitary protection and condoms.

Yes, yes to university education - restrict to proper, useful degrees and tie in to a certain number of years spent repaying your debt with public service if need be but the economy and the country benefits from educating its young people.

Yup ST's, nappies, and uni education - but only if you have grade C and above in your A levels, no-one is allowed in with 5 grade E's, (or utter fails,) just because the uni wants to fill the places. Only free for good A level results.

Posted too soon! Also glasses, dental, and prescriptions. No-one ASKS for any of this. And hospital parking without a shadow of a doubt.

Prescriptions for long term illnesses. Some are covered, some aren't!

Great minds Worra

School uniform! Or at least make them unbranded or the badges clip-on.
I could have bought a house (slight exaggeration) with the amount I've forked out over the years. £120 for a compulsory blazer x2 growing children is ridiculous.

The problem with free prescriptions is the current system is so mish mashed with no logic to which conditions are covered and which aren't which automatically makes it seem unfair.

I wonder if this thread would have developed this way if the title had been "What should we spend other peoples taxes on ?" ?

(This is AIBU).

Water. It is essential to life.

For not to. Ffs

Free prescriptions should be abolished or reduced to those on the lowest incomes.

(90.6% of all prescriptions are free )

If more people paid, the price could be lowered and be more affordable for the majority, and still subsidise/protectthe most vulnerable in society.

People.

More and more our freedoms are being eroded by governments, multinationals and 'conventions'.

Sanitary Products should be VAT free, not free. However, as toilets roll is subject to VAT, so that would have to be abolished too.

CF medication isn't free??? But it's a lifelong condition ??? Why on earth isn't it included in that

figaro what freedoms are you being denied right now?

No. Everyone should pay for a prescription, with the amount tiered to income. Do you have any idea how many GP appointments are wasted with people who know their child has a cold but want free paracetamol? Or for hay fever? Then maybe I could spend my time seeing people who are actually ill. Nothing available otc should be prescribes lay BUT pharmacists should be mandated to point out to anyone buying a branded medicine (nurofen, clarityn etc) that the generic does the same for a fraction of the cost.

I am on a VERY low income but not entitled to any benefits so I say YES to making eye tests and dental treatment free! My eyesight is gradually worsening and I can't afford glasses, and my number of operational teeth is gradually dropping...

I'd also say free entry to local swimming pools and other exercise facilities.

I think a better question would be what is currently free that shouldn't be?
GP appointments would be on my list.

YY to lurkinghusband

by 'free' do you mean 'available without charge as paid for by taxes' or 'available in some theoretical growing-on-trees state'? Because they're two really different things.

Wickerlampshade - doesn't the receptionist ask when they call what the appointment is for?
Surely if they say cold/hayfever the receptionist should direct to a pharmacy?

Sanitary products.

Asthma inhalers.

Party pooper here but none of those things can be free. Paid for by the taxpayer rather than directly by the end consumer is not the same as free. The public purse is not infinite unfortunately.

wickerlampshade Wed 14-Jun-17 11:44:56
No. Everyone should pay for a prescription, with the amount tiered to income. Do you have any idea how many GP appointments are wasted with people who know their child has a cold but want free paracetamol? Or for hay fever? Then maybe I could spend my time seeing people who are actually ill

I completely agree with this. I did my nurse prescribing course a couple of years ago and had a lovely GP mentor me. I spent a morning a week in his clinic and was absolutely astonished at the amount of people who cam in for things like Paracetamol.

Mostly unrealistic, but I think Hospital car parks should be free, the trouble is people not using the hospital park in them, I had to pay to park as hospital staff, also took me 18 months fter I started working there to get the pass to enable me to open the barrier, during which time I had to pay as a visitor.

Abortions on the mainland for Northern Ireland women. Apparently the High Court has just ruled that Northern Irish women are NOT entitled to the free health services that other UK citizens are. So even if they can get themselves to the UK they can NOT access NHS abortions but have to find the money to pay for private care.

can't do links but the story is currently on the BBC news site.

Newjob, if they made people pay for appointments then people would get very sick. I take my kids to see a doctor when necessary and have been referred to hospital a couple of times, if I couldn't afford the appointment then what would have happened?