To think blanket free prescriptions for over 60s NEED to end?

[Idratherbepaddleboarding]

I know this will be controversial but I popped to the doctors in my lunch break to collect my prescription and joined a longish queue. Everyone in front of me was over 60 and collecting huge bags of medications and I was the only one paying for any of it.

I don’t dispute that I should have to pay but often I can’t afford it which has led to me having to miss days of my medication, leaving me feeling very emotional and at times suicidal (medication is for depression). Perhaps if everyone who has over a certain income had to pay, they’d be able to lower the prescription charge for everyone or be able to afford the pay rises they say they can’t afford for nurses and junior doctors.

The killer was that every single one of the people in front of me got back into massive, brand new SUVs, one couple into a Range Rover and another into a Jaguar. If they can afford to own (and run!) cars like that, paying for a prescription would be a drop in the ocean for them. AIBU to think that free prescriptions should be limited to those in pension credit just like Universal Credit?

When DH’s grandad died, his mum and auntie shared out his collection of prescription paracetamol and ibuprofen (I know they should be returned to the pharmacy but they’d only have been destroyed and both are ex nurses so I guess they know what they’re doing). I’m not joking, there were boxes and boxes of the stuff, we didn’t buy painkillers for years and these will have cost the NHS a lot more than they would from the supermarket and weren’t even taken by the person that they were intended for! Surely paracetamol and ibuprofen should not be available on the NHS at all?

I really don’t want to bash the over 60s and it wouldn’t be a vote winner for politicians but surely we can’t afford to keep free prescriptions for those that can afford them?

Approx 90% of all prescriptions are dispensed without charge. Personally I believe that if people can afford to contribute they should (I include myself in this, I do. Often purchase prepayment certificate which reduces cost). The NHS simply can’t afford to be run the way it was designed to at its conception, we are a different country with different needs now.

I do believe there are some OAPs who could and should pay.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/aligning-the-upper-age-for-nhs-prescription-charge-exemptions-with-the-state-pension-age/aligning-the-upper-age-for-nhs-prescription-charge-exemptions-with-the-state-pension-age

This old chesnut has come up before.

If someone has say diabetes or hypothyroidism gets a random infection that isn't related to their condition so have to pay for their prescription for that infection they may not bother going to the GP or if they do they may not bother getting the prescription.

The infection gets worse. They then have to be hospitalised for two days and given IV antibiotics costing the NHS much more than the initial prescription.

No, you’d get a pre payment certificate like people under 60 do 🙈.

Ah yes - along comes a Daily Mail reader to blame it on "foreigners"!

It's a poor system. DH now has a medical exemption certificate due to one condition (thyroid) which was only recently diagnosed so he gets his other two medications for free, which he paid for up until recently.

He could (and should) pay for everything besides his Levothyroxine, but I doubt the present system would accommodate this.

Free in NI too just to chime in.

Older people tend to have more ailments than younger ones, hence the need for multiple prescriptions. Yes, some will be wealthy but a lot won't be, and might not be able to afford the cost.

Why would it be an insane idea? It’s already a reality in 3 out of the 4 nations.

Sometimes it’s very clear how many people think England is representative of the UK.

To an extent, I don't necessarily disagree. Based on my observations with my parents, the GPs seem to be prescribing meds based on their ages, rather than their actual needs (both are 67). I've seen my mums medicine draw, it's absolutely fucking insane how many meds she has in there, nearly all prescription. I cannot work out why she's got so much that she hasn't taken - if she hasn't taken them, she doesn't need them!!

My parents are relatively wealthy. They own their bungalow outright, they are both retired, have active social lives where they go out for dinner 5-6 times a month and they are always on bloody holiday. Yet they get a free bus pass, free prescriptions, they each qualified for the winter heating allowance. It seems endless

My dad was telling me that he was on a 3yr fixed term energy deal, so they've been protected from the price rises over the last year. He said that their energy over the last year was £1100. Of which, they both qualified for the winter fuel payment, plus they recieved the £67 rebate each month. So he said that their actual fuel costs direct to them were miniscule.

I'm constantly telling them both to get the hell off the Daily Mail - but from their perspective, they've literally been given so much free stuff, none of which they actually need but they are entitled to it all because it's not means tested and eligible for all.

In their defence, they do give to charity and both do a lot of volunteering in their retirement but it just amazes me.

This foreigner just spent nearly £200 on a private GP appointment and a prescriptive cream..GP appointment would be reimbursed by my company but not the prescription which is £89.

I don't have a choice as the NHS doesnt have any appointments. I go private a lot as a result.

So you noticed what everyone in the long queue got in the pharmacy and also noticed which cars they drive. If so there must have been a huge window overlooking the entire carpark while you watched every single person leave while also noticing the precription of every person 🙄 I don't think so. The amount of medication goes up as you get older. I'm 50 ish and got 4 medications a month. My dad is reaching 80 and gets 8 medications a month. They have paid into the system all these years, why shouldn't they get it free?

How nice

Older people have multiple pathologies and often need several different meds. A lot of these meds are preventive - anticoagulants, statins, blood pressure medication - and mean that high cost hospital admissions, rehab and benefits related to illness are avoided by reducing the incidence of strokes, heart attacks etc. This probably outweighs the cost of the meds and of administering some sort of means test.

But I do understand it is galling to see people getting this stuff for free when you are struggling.

When my OH died I took a black bin liner bag full of drugs back to the surgery to be destroyed - but there was nothing to be done about it as they kept changing his meds due to his chronic illnesses. I hated to see the wastage, but there was nothing else to be done.

If you’d read the thread you’d see that I’ve explained how I saw, it wasn’t hard 🙈.

I notice OP that you collected your one prescription whilst the over 60’s collected several.

Would you like to pay for several prescriptions every week?

Every month!

I have heard of people who fly back to India for medical treatment because the NHS is so bad. We don't come to the UK for the NHS, we come to the UK in spite of the NHS :)

I agree there are pensioners who are pretty well off and don't need free prescriptions. On the other hand, if you limit it to those on Pension Credit, it means the large number of single (usually female) pensioners with a small private pension just above Pension Credit, would struggle. With the current huge rise in food and fuel it's very difficult for these people to manage.
There are lots of anomalies in the system for free prescriptions and often it is those who less money who have to pay.

But that’s the point of a pre payment certificate, no one has to pay over a certain amount and if everyone paid it, the amount of the pre payment certificate could be lowered, which would benefit everyone! I might only be one one medication, but if I wasn’t I’d be off sick with depression which would not be helpful for anyone.

I don't believe the car part. And good job at ignoring everything else I said🙄

Wouldn't surprise me. Means testing things isn't free, even when you can actually recruit people to do it. And I can't imagine those roles would be particularly attractive.

You don’t have to believe it, that doesn’t make it not true. I’ve already answered all the other things you said in your post.

The pre payment certificate is £31 for 3 months or £111 for a year. Not everybody can afford that.

If it’s means tested for someone who is 59 then why not at 60?

free for all over 85, maybe (most have so many pills by then).

I bloody hope the Govt does not do away with free prescriptions for the over 60s! It would cost me nearly £100 per month.