To think the NHS medical exemption is not very fair?

[user87382294757]

DH has crohns disease. Needs regular prescriptions and bloods, has an IBD nurse etc.

Advised some conditions can exempt you from prescription charges and checked the list. It says-

You can get all your NHS prescriptions free if you have a valid medical exemption certificate because you have:
• a permanent fistula (for example, caecostomy, colostomy, laryngos-tomy or ileostomy) which needs
continuous surgical dressing or an appliance;
• a form of hypoadrenalism (for example, Addison’s Disease) for which specific substitution therapy is
essential;
• diabetes insipidus and other forms of hypopituitarism;
• diabetes mellitus, except where treatment is by diet alone;
• hypoparathyroidism;
• myasthenia gravis;
• myxoedema (that is, hypothyroidism which needs thyroid hormone replacement);
• epilepsy which needs continuous anticonvulsive therapy;
• a continuing physical disability which means you cannot go out without the help of another person; or
• cancer and are undergoing treatment for:
– cancer;
– the effects of cancer; or,
– the effects of cancer treatment.

Why these conditions and not others? It seems unfair that someone with diabetes type 2 (which is often self induced through diet and lack of exercise) can get these for free and others with other chronic illnesses cannot?

I'm cross that it seems a selective few illness have been given more priority than others for this. AIBU?

Not all T2 Diabetes is a result of lack of care so how do you differentiate as to what is worthy. It could be argued some cancers are lifestyle inflicted. Who are you to judge for this YABU

That said I think you are right in that more medical conditions should be exempt

There is also the point of being self regulatory in the kind of medicines you are prescribed. I have medical exemption but will not contemplate having anti- histamines or paracetamol prescribed

There are no prescription charges in Wales.

Recently some campaigners were wanting the prescription charge to be reinstated in order to fund cancer treatments that are not available in Wales but are available across the border in England.

The Welsh Assembly Government responded that reinstating the prescription charge wouldn’t actually raise funds, as it costs as much to administrate as it brings in.

Obviously I have no way of knowing whether that is the case.

I agree with you OP. Except for your judgemental statement about T2D, which isn’t really accurate either.

It works out at about £2 per week for prepayment certificate. Not very much to cover all medicines you might need.

It does seem quite arbitrary as to what is included and what not, but all the time that the prepayment certificate can be bought so cheaply, I don't really think there is cause to complain. We are extremely lucky to be able to get essential meds so cheaply in this country.

as a T1 diabetic - trust me when I say I would be dead without treatment- have come close a couple of times even with it- thank god for th lovely NHS doctors and nurses and my re-suss unit at the hospital- diabetes can, and will kill you without ongoing treatment- and even with the exemption certificate, the nhs still try's to block me getting some items that I am reliant on because they "cost too much" (£1 over the £10/item for this sort of thing)- though to be fair- a request from the consultant to put me on the fabled ~Libre~ (£50/sensor at- at least 2 if not 3 a month) soon corrected that! no libre but at least they didn't take my test strips away!!

I have two of the above conditions but agree with **MrsMiggins37 that the free element should only apply to medication linked to that condition. The specification of removing diabetes treatment I disagree with. Many cancers are caused by lack of self care, smoking, poor diet, sunbathing etc

@Mitebiteatnite it’s £10.20 a month for 10 months and covers you for a year. So you don’t pay more over all.

I totally agree, especially about asthma. I think there should be conditions added to the list where if you have a certain amount of medication needed per month you can apply for an exemption.

I have asthma, sinus issues and migraines and have 7 monthly prescriptions as well as additional random ones through the year. I'm on benefits at the moment so it's exempt but when I was working I had to prioritise which medicines I could afford.

I started work at 16 on an NVQ scheme, my asthma was very bad at this time of my life and I saw a chest consultant monthly and was regularly hospitalised and even in intensive care. When my consultant found out I couldn't afford the extensive list of medicine he had been prescribing he went and filled a carrier bag from the cabinet and gave it to me for free.

I agree. I've got an underactive theroid and am now exempt from all prescription charges, which is ridiculous as I am overall a very healthy person. The fairer thing to do would be for me to not pay for the meds that treat this particular condition, but pay for everything else.

JaceLancs

I have to self catheterise 3-4 times daily and can’t get catheters, bags or local anaesthetic gel free - never mind the many other drugs I’m on

Absolutely barbaric that you're treated like that.

I doubt exemptions will remain in place for anything for much longer, which will address the OPs point. Everyone will have to pay making it fair again. After all the economy looks set to shrink, so we'll have to make some hard choices.

Well we won't, our leaders will. But we'll have to bear them.

Yes it's unfair that some conditions are excluded, but at £2 a week for the yearly prepayment certificate it is really not a lot. People pay more than that for a coffee.

As much as I agree with the fact the list needs changing I don’t think including only treatment for the condition would work. Because sometimes the condition can trigger other things or make you more prone to them so it would be hard to differentiate and who would decide?

I also have asthma and DH has diabetes. DS has epilepsy. DS will get free prescriptions if he still needs his meds past childhood. DH gets free prescriptions. I don't.

I've got an under active thyroid and as a result have medical exemption from paying. While it can be serious if untreated, it's easily remedied.

Obviously I'm going to take the free prescriptions but if I was told tomorrow 'ok we'll continue to give you thyroxine for free but everything else you pay for' I'd actually be ok with that. So a bit like the contraceptive pill, which is free.

I don't take the piss though, will only use it for medication you can only get on prescription. I don't go to the GP looking for paracetamol etc.

for goodness sake lets stop blaming people for their disease! Cancer & diabetes increase with age & we have an aging population. Many of these diseases can be inherited & some treatments for cancer can increase chances of diabetes. I agree more long term conditions should have free prescriptions BUT if it maintains NHS being free on contact when it is struggling financially - maybe it is worth it (unpopular suggestion I am sorry)

This is like a lot of things on the NHS really .Some rules were set up a long time ago, and never altered!.Point is there will be several people saying not fair .Why do over 60s who are well off get it, why can it not be means tested etc etc !.People will always challenge things .Probably time for a rethink but most likely difficult to implement!

I think the list needs updating. It would cost them money though, wouldn't it and call my cynical but I guess that's at the heart of these decisions.

I agree with you OP
Mainly because the pre-paymnet certificates can be a lot for people on low income. Its easy to say 'everyone I know is having them' when you can spare the £10 a month.
Seeing the number of threads on here where people just cannot afford said £10 (let alone if several people in the family need them). I thnk its deeply unfair.

The prepayment certificate isn't expensive - I have one, the moment you are regularly taking more than two things it pays its way. We're getting my DD1 one because she has eczema - which is also lifelong and incurable - and needs moisturisers and other creams. It's excellent value for money.

But I agree that the list of exemptions needs to be longer - dementia drugs and Parkinsons drugs need to be on it for starters, as do many others.

There was a 19 year old girl who died of an asthma attack while she tried to eek out her ventolin that she couldn't afford.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/make-asthma-medication-free-say-campaigners-after-19-year-old-who-couldnt-afford-inhaler-dies_uk_5c6ebd29e4b0e37a1ed59c52

I do think asthma should be included in the exemptions.

@dottiedodah my understanding was that actually checking on income for all the over 65 to ask them to pay for prescription would be more expensive than just leaving the system like it is.

Maybe that was the case years ago when poverty in retirement was more widespread? or maybe thats because some gvernment rely too much on the older generation as voters so they dont want to upset them....

Prescriptions are free for the over 60s, so I'm not sure how the ageing population argument works on this one

The conditions listed cause other conditions that require more medications. For example I have hypothyroidsim which the NHS only treats when it’s often really bad (or in women impacts fertility) - that causes PCOS (for which I needed metformin), severe vitamin D deficiency (for which I needed an experimental dose of Vitamin D), and autoimmune issues (for which I needed steroids). I am also at a greater risk of getting autoimmune conditions like diabetes, Lupus, heart failure, IBD and Rheumatoid Arthritis because these conditions are associated with untreated thyroid levels.

The truth is if you don’t have a fistula or complications then IBD can often be treated through diet with medicine only required during severe flare ups. Mum has severe colitis and I have relatives with other severe IBD - neither need to take drugs constantly.

I have mental health problems, where I am on a lot of medication to keep me stable.

At the moment, I get PIP which pays for the prepayment certificate, however when I lose it (which I will) then one of the things we will cut in the prepayment certificate because we won't be able to afford it. £10 is not alot but when you have nothing £10 could be the difference between a cold winter and heating.

Then because I am not taking the medication, I will probably go downhill again and have to be referred again, costing the NHS more money. I am sure this is not just the case with mental health problems.

Although as PP says where do you draw the line?

I believe all prescriptions should be free as they are I believe in Scotland.