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?

Sorry, should have said that I’m happy to pay for mine - I have no issue with paying but I think there are others not paying who should be.

What about the elderly that haven't paid their bit through taxes when working? MIL gave up work in her early 20's and even when her two DC had flown the nest 18 years later, never worked again. Millions of elderly women like her. She's now moaning she has to wait 6 weeks for physio despite FIL boasting he has more money coming in now (that they don't spend) through investments than when he was working. Wouldn't dream of paying for it privately to improve her quality of life.

You can't really say that someone with thyroid problems can have the thyroxine free but other ailments they must pay for, because the other ailments maybe either directly or indirectly related to the thyroid condition.

ClaudiaD13 sorry that's not my experience at all, both DH and myself are on multiple prescriptions I handle my own repeat prescription, my DH gets his repeats handled by Boots, I only order what I need when I need them, but month after month after month Boots get DHs prescriptions wrong, take last week he got a text saying his prescription is ready, he was expecting it as on of his prescriptions was one he was running out of and one he is not supposed to stop taking only that's wasn't the one that was ready it was for something else that he actually already had a months supply of and didn't actually need but yes lets just put the whole blame on the patients shall we?

And as for medicine use reviews I may go for one if it wasn't for the fact that Boots charge the NHS £28 for every one they do that seems a nice little earner for Boots with sometimes little or no benefit to the patients
www.theguardian.com/business/2016/apr/13/boots-staff-under-pressure-to-milk-the-nhs-says-pharmacists-union

So I pay for all my prescriptions, I pay for private health care but do not get a discount on my NI payments. I have to be referred by my doctor to access my private health care but guess what I can't get an appointment with my doctor for 3 weeks, I could be dead by then

are you really suggesting that someone who has 20p more a week because they paid into the system should have to pay whilst someone who paid in less gets all the help they need because they are on Pension Credit

What I'm suggesting is that here needs to be a cut off somewhere; I made one suggestion but quite accept that others may have better ones

Let's not forget, too, that Prepayment Certificates are available to those who need more prescriptions; I believe it's just over £100, which means a saving if you need just one each month. Not a complete answer perhaps, but a help nevertheless

This just backs up the argument on how we don’t look after or respect our elderly enough in this Country.
They have worked hard all their lives.
I would rather stop all the bloody hand outs to the idle arseholes that can’t be bothered to work.
Those people never had any free childcare, child benefit or anything else handed out to help them.
Leave them alone, it’s likely most of what they have built up will be taxed again with a 40% inheritance tax!

Come to think of it, why is the age exemption for prescriptions still stuck at 60 - apart from the obvious it-would-cost-us-votes? It might have made sense when that was the retirement age (at least for women) but that hardly applies since it's been raised

As PPs have said, it's high time that was raised too

The 60 plus adults have most likely paid the most in to the system.

Due to recent changes, many who retired at 60 still cannot get their pension yet, but if in arduous jobs cannot continue working either.
These changes were were too late for them to build up a safeguard against that financial hit - as when the began their working life they were told they would get their pension earlier.
The young on the other hand, know that they will have to pace themselves more and save and set aside additional finances for a later retirement age. (My kids know that)

If you want to collect money for the NHS, try fining drunks that clog up A&E and the ambulance and police services. There are also a lot more avoidable conditions the NHS are funding daily ....but that is another mumsnet argument.

In principle I believe the NHS should be prioritised over funding the Royal Family and their hangers on who keep up a magnificent lifestyle at tax payers expense, and while not gainfully employed. The nuclear weapons programme needs scrapping. The House of Lords can be put out to grass too. I’m sure there is a host of other things that can be removed from our country without hitting hard working elder citizens.

Is the free nursery care means tested?

I believe Welsh and Scottish people get free prescriptions ? English people pay. No I don't think people over 60 should pay. If you have good health you are very fortunate

Prescription waste is huge - by which I mean people getting medication they don't need. I can remember my late father having stockpiles because he just ticked everything on his repeat list whether or not he needed it but he thought that if he didn't have something one month, the doctor would stop it permanently.

I think the NHS has bigger savings it could make before looking at prescriptions.

starfishmummy

Yes I completely forgot about that aspect. My sibling is a doctor & apparently it is a huge figure.

starfishmummy

Yes I completely forgot about that aspect. My sibling is a doctor & apparently it is a huge figure.

today’s youth are never going to have the pensions & house price growth as experienced by some of the older generations.

Which is why many of us try to help out our kids with housing etc - also, we weren't to know when we were your age how things would pan out. You make the best decisions you can at the time. You don't purposely make them in order to disadvantage future generations (your own children).

I expect when you are in your 60s younger people will be resentful of some of the things you had - and will blame you for it.

Plus ça change and all that.

I think the richest should pay.
Old or young. If you are fortunate enough to be born with a good enough brain to have a good job paying very good money e.g. £80k + then social responsibility to care for others who aren't as smart to get a good job like yours should kick in.
Problem is, many people with lots of money like to keep their money and consider those who have not had the same opportunities as worthless, workshy scum.

We are not all born equal. Some of us are cleverer than others - that's genetics. We are all human and should care more for our fellow humans. I'd happily pay more tax or NI to improve health outcomes for everyone.

Those people never had any free childcare, child benefit or anything else handed out to help them.

People did get child benefit & it wasn’t means tested. Now it is & you only get it for 2 children. Free childcare doesn’t exist either it’s subsidised.

Leave them alone, it’s likely most of what they have built up will be taxed again with a 40% inheritance tax

The inheritance tax threshold is fairly high this days with plan to increase. Plus most of these gains are unearned.

Isn't there free nursery care? 30 hours or something?

Correct that they would have had no free or subsidised child care, salary sacrifice voucher schemes, child or working tax credits (and probably not their forerunner family credit either)

They did have MIRAS though

Scabbersley

It’s not free, google it or plenty of MNs threads about it. Plus you only qualify for 30 hours if both parents work a minimum of 16 hours each.

And my point about child benefit?

We didn't get child benefit for the first child when my son was born. Think he was about three when that changed.

You can't really say that someone with thyroid problems can have the thyroxine free but other ailments they must pay for, because the other ailments maybe either directly or indirectly related to the thyroid condition.

Well my medication for acne is pretty likely to be related to my thyroid.

The antibiotics for a ferret bite not so much.

Yeah I've googled. 15 hours free for all 3 and 4 year olds and 30 if both parents work.

Not means tested. What a massive handout.

Plenty of “young” working people myself included do not receive child benefit or credits. For people that do well it’s largely because the cost of living is so high.