AIBU - Should people 60+ be means tested & pay for prescriptions

[monopoly5]

Considering the NHS is so stretched as are lots of other public services should free prescriptions for the over 60s be means tested?

I agree that the NHS is mismanaged but there is still no money. The tax paying population is shrinking & wealth is increasingly held by the older generations.

Yes there is the argument that people have paid their taxes so are entitled but I don’t believe a 20 year old of today will have any state pension/NHS available to them.

In an ideal world the 1% would be taxed more but can’t see that happening. Don’t we all need to chip in?

No, over 60’s have paid enough into the system - that is a bit of a sweeping statement, I am 60 this year, I haven't worked in paid employment all my life (by choice), I earn a decent wage and can afford to pay my prescription charge. I believe it would be fairer to link it to the state pension age.

Both my in laws, and my brother's in laws, are millionaires. Perhaps there's a case for them..but then they have paid a lot in taxes over the years, and have created employment for hundreds of people.
Then you have mothers who stay at home, and don't pay taxes for years. Contribution is not always easy to measure..much as I like the idea, it would be contentious to change!

Ok, I will pay for my prescriptions if the young drunks who clog up A and E on a Friday and Saturday night pay for their ambulances, paramedics ,nurses, doctors and vomit cleaners. sounds fair to me.

Very late for this response, but you do realise young people today are the group least likely to drink, be problem drinkers and drink the least alcohol overall?

The problem drinkers clogging up A&E are much more likely to be over 35 than under 24.

I don't think that access to free calpol etc should be scrapped. I think it's important that it's available to everyone should they need it. Surely you can choose not to to take advantage of it and buy it yourself? I always do that with things I can get OTC.

The issue with that is lots of people who don’t need that scheme in any way shape or form use it because it is there. If only those who genuinely need it used it then it wouldn’t be as much of an issue

It’s £1.75 for 100ml of infant paracetamol in Asda so I would say those that can’t afford that will be in the minority realistically and of course scrapping the wider scheme doesn’t need to mean that something isn’t out in place for those who genuinely can’t afford it.

Claudia A pharmacist can sell 3 packs of 32 tablets at their professional discretion which is not far off 100

I agree, as someone retiring very soon and having paid in for my entire career, that over 60s should pay something as very few people have actually contributed enough to cover pension for our increased life expectancy or NHS for the years of treatment we are likely to need within that. I'm actually in favour of everybody a small contribution per appointment and per prescription to minimise misuse and make people appreciate the service more

Of course no government will ever tackle this as any changes would make them unelectable

There is a problem already with older people being reluctant to claim benefits they need and are entitled to.

That generation is just about goneb(my grandparents), boomers will hoover up everything they can.

The same argument could be said for the working poor that might not get meds.

Easy to administer just link it to pension credits.

Easy to administer just link it to pension credits. Is there still any such thing for new pensioners? Just asking, I'm too old for the new pension. But pension plus pension credits would only just about take you up to the new pension level, and I thought, but might be wrong, that they were stopping pension credits.

Means testing would probably cost more than it saves. Also, it might scare some elderly folk and stop them getting the medication they need. They're already known for not wanting to bother the doctor, and I think this would make it worse.

Pension credits takes you to 20p below the new pension level. Most current pensioners do not get the new pension level, but future ones will.

You are right new pensioners don't get pension credits, but there's still a similar means tested calculation.

The means testing is already done so its negligible to means test it, despite posters keep saying it's too expensive.

Paid enough into the system

Many study's show boomers are taking out far more than they ever paid in. It's not sustainable to have people retired for 20-30 years.

The new pension ages are changing that. Average age of men to die is 79, pension age is 68.

My dad is 75 but still pays for his. He also tried to refuse the winter fuel allowance, but was told it would cost more to check who was eligible than just to pay it to everyone

The annual/monthly pre-payment card needs to be advertised better as well

What apart from a notice on display on every pharmacy in the land, and information on the NHS website, in doctors surgeries etc?

I am constantly astonished that people are not aware of this. No one has to pay more than £10 a month for prescriptions, and as it has already been pointed out, the vast majority are free anyway.

But I agree that it would probably be cheaper to make all prescriptions free, but only if people could be encouraged to buy cheap items themselves where possible, - no prescriptions for packets of paracetamol that cost pennies for example except perhaps unless very low income.

Also people need to stop hoarding medicines without using them - there are people who get items that they never actually use, because they are free.

That is true Rebecca. He should just donate it to charity instead.Maybe a foodbank?

I don’t see why it increase admin. If you claim uc then if you get a card saying free prescriptions with your name and dob. Just hand it over with your script. Anything that is otc should be paid for by the person requiring it - only exception should be children whose parents have a card. The script justs need an extra line which states otc recommended then a list.

Btw I got sent a card automatically when I claimed tax credits as it was above a certain amount.

No, but bloody free bus passes are a joke sometimes and should be for those without cars of their own my parents gloat about using theirs to go for boozy posh lunches in town

He does raise a fair bit for charity - I can't say whether he donates that specific amount though. I shall ask him!

(Amongst other things he plays in a rock n roll band that's raised over £300k for charity over the years - I take the piss out of them (e.g. When they do "wild thing", I tell them to rename it "bald thing"), but I'm actually v proud of the wrinkly old rockers !)

You get a UC card?

I have to fumble around with printouts from UC that they never understand then have to tick the income based jsa in the end. It's a right hassle.

Bus passes are another issue all together, no help for people on JSA but there is the help for wealthy people to go into town so they don't risk getting the Merc scratched and save on parking.

SmallBuisnessOwner
many study's show boomers are taking out far more than they ever paid in. It's not sustainable to have people retired for 20-30 years

Every one will end up taking more out of the system than they put in, why pick on baby boomers

I think you will find a lot working age people on all sorts of benefits during their working lives and who then get a state pension will also end up taking even more out of the system than they put in especially as many of those benefits are not taxed . Now don't get me wrong people are entitled to these state handouts like tax credits and child tax credits and I agree with many that its disgraceful that working age people on low incomes have to claim benefits like HB, wages should be enough for people to actually live on, but they are still taking out a lot earlier than people who only get benefits when they retire.

When I get my pension in 3 years time will have worked for 51 years paid NI for 51 years (and due to the new pension rules that includes 5 years where my NI contributions will not add a penny to my pension as I have already accrued enough contribution years) and I will have paid tax at the higher rate for 30 of them (if I keep my present job) and then when I do retire I will be paying tax until I die so even if its 20/30 years after my pension age its still 20/30 years of income tax that the state will get from me.

Every one will end up taking more out of the system than they put in, why pick on baby boomers

No they won't. Boomers are expected to be the first and last generation to take more out of the system than they paid in.

The state pension is almost certainly going to be risen and means tested so that future generations don't claim it for 20-30 years.

There is a problem already with older people being reluctant to claim benefits they need and are entitled to

SmallBuisnessOwner: That generation is just about goneb(my grandparents), boomers will hoover up everything they can.

You are so wrong:

www.ageuk.org.uk/torbay/aboutus/news/articles/2017/unclaimed-benefits/

That link doesn't work, but age UK aren't exactly a reliable source.

They've been spouting off cherry picked figures for years to paint a very inaccurate picture as their whole charity is in trouble now that pensioners are the age group least likely to face poverty. Their income and workforce has been falling.

"No, but bloody free bus passes are a joke sometimes"

Especially in places where there are no buses. And when the thing that was cut to pay for universal bus passes, whether wanted by the recipients or not, was the taxi service (giving an entitlement to a set number of return trips per year to those old enough for a bus pass but unable to use buses for either physical reasons or because there are no buses).