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?

I have Crohn's too. I have a pre-payment certificate. It might not be a lot of money to some but to me as a SAHM £10 a month is a lot. I don't work as I am not well enough to but not ill enough for benefits. It's a catch 22 situation. I wrote to Tony Blair when I was first diagnosed. The medical exemptions haven't changed since about 1967 or something.

Source www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/news-and-analysis/prescription-charge-overhaul-would-raise-1bn-a-year-for-nhs-says-think-tank/20066348.article?firstPass=false

@user87382294757

YANBU to be annoyed obviously, but as a few posters have said, asthma sufferers don't get free prescriptions either. And all of the other ailments and illnesses are worthy of free prescriptions.

Like a number of others, I don't understand why you don't get a pre-payment certificate.

Also, have you filled in an HC1 form? If you are on low income you may benefit from it. If you send that in with evidence of your last 8 weeks pay (copies of payslips,) you can get your medical fees reduced. A few people I know only have to pay £60-70 maximum towards dental - even the course that costs £300, and they also get money off glasses. They do still have to pay for prescriptions, so they get the prepayment card.

HC1

www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcosts/Documents/2016/HC1-April-2016.pdf

Prepayment certificate/card

apps.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/ppc-online/patient.do

All the best.

I'm except as have an underactive thyroid.The thyroid cant fix itself you have to be on medication for life.

www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/news-and-analysis/prescription-charge-overhaul-would-raise-1bn-a-year-for-nhs-says-think-tank/20066348.article?firstPass=false

This is one of the reasons there are no prescription charges in Wales..

I've got one of the conditions on the list, so my prescriptions have always been free. I've always thought that it should just be the medications for the specific condition that are free - not everything (even though this was a huge help when my DC were small and DH was in a very low paid job).
It seems almost arbitrary to choose - as an example - diabetes to get free prescriptions, but not asthma, which also requires daily medication/s and can also be a killer...

It's stupid, my sister in law has Ms and has to pay for her medication even tho she will be on them for life!

I'm type 2 diabetic, I get mine all free, but I'm making the effort and I'm not far off coming off my medication completely, it's been a massive lifestyle change but will be worth it

I have

ulcerative colitis (can kill (but rarely) if untreated and can require a lot of medication to control it)

asthma (kills)

Very severe nut allergy (would be dead if it wasn't for prescribed Adrenaline)

None of these are eligible for free prescriptions. Given that at my least healthy I've sometimes been taking up to 8 prescribed medications a day it makes the prepayment certificate incredibly good value. I feel so so lucky that I can receive all of these items on prescription and that the NHS has a system in place that makes it affordable for all (either you can afford the annual £110 or if you can't you'll be given a tax credits or universal credit exemption certificate).

I actually think that free prescriptions should be scrapped for everyone apart from those eligible for exemption on account of low income.

I fear life without the NHS far more than I begrudge paying for the prepayment certificate.

Like a number of others, I don't understand why you don't get a pre-payment certificate.

Did you read the OP ?

I agree with you. Exempt due to hypothyroidism. I choose to pay on principle (and have to fight pharmacies to do so).

Prescription charges are not sensible or logical, you are wasting your time trying to act as if they were.

If you want poor people, or people needing lots of prescriptions, not to suffer the cost, you could make them free. If you wanted rich people to contribute more, you could increase NI or make it payable by all people with income over a certain level, even if they were over state pension age.

If you wanted contributions to vary according to income, you could use the income tax system that already exists.

If you wanted a expensive, bureaucratic, complicated system that has no logic to it, you could continue with charges, exemptions and prepayments. I don't.

Source is almost 5 years old

Wales, NI and Scotland all prescriptions are free. Feels really unfair (as does the fees/grants issue for uni).

I was in the chemist's yesterday and a student had to pay £40 for his items, he was really shocked and upset.

I think the whole system needs to be revised. Surely as much as anything the exemption should only apply to the medication required for the specific condition and not everything.

I know someone who has an exemption cert for epilepsy, fair enough they get their condition controlling meds free, but they are also at the Drs for anything and everything and get that free too which in my opinion is completely unnecessary and a bit of an abuse of the system.

I spent years paying for Crohns meds , the more serious treatments like the biological meds are provided free at massive cost to the NHS - a year course of Humira eg in excess of £20k. If you are unfortunate enough to require a stoma bag supplies are free , a cost to the NHS (conservative estimate) £3k per year. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect people to pay £10 a month for unlimited prescriptions while they are experiencing only mild to moderate disease.

It may well be five years old, it’s unlikely to have changed much.

I do think its crazy that my dad has type two but got a prescription for free for a write injury unrelated to his type 2

Wrist not write

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?

Because the medication is

a) needed to be taken every day and
b) will result in death or serious life changing illness if not taken.

Your diabetic friend is risking blindness and having limbs amputated.

Which is fair enough but why do they get all meds free, even ones not for diabetes, and the OP’s partner has to pay for everything?

Because it is impossible to say if something isn't related to eg diabetes, as already mentioned diabetes can lead to blindness, so eye drops may not at first seem linked to diabetes but could well be.

OP

Be angry that other things should be on the list not with the people who have the medical condition.

It may well be five years old, it’s unlikely to have changed much.

On right. Ok.

OP does DH claim PIP? I'm asking as that may offset the cost of the PPC and make it more affordable (as well as covering travel costs etc etc etc)

I have asthma and not exempt.

If I didn't have my reliever then I could die - when I have been really ill

More chronic illnesses should be added

Seems strange that all prescriptions are then free - we have a similar system in Italy but only prescriptions relating to the specific illness are free.

The argument re only getting prescriptions for the one chronic illness is totally flawed because that chronic illness can cause other issues.

As an example - my DH is type 1 diabetic, this means his immune system is lowered so can catch all sorts. He would get free antibiotics for example because the diabetes means he is likely to get more ill without them