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?

I say Bullsh1t too, ridiculous statement!
I get free prescriptions, I’m on 9 medications. I have paid my NI and taxes all my life (still paying tax on a tiny private pension), I don’t get any other benefits or concessions.
I certainly couldn’t afford to pay for my drugs, so what do you suggest I do? Stop taking them? I guess there are those who could afford to pay but I suspect that the vast majority have been paying into the NHS all their working lives.

Every £9.35 for every prescription raised unnecessarily every 56 days when a six month or 12 month supply would suffice pops a bit back into the coffers. Especially for drugs that are often essential but as cheap as chips.

Well, i was this ideal tenant, 20 years and 190k paid in rent, it was my home, i looked after it as my own, i even got the LL a free condensing boiler under a "green scheme" for her.

Sect 21 notice and 2 months to get out or face a Court hearing, i asked for 3 weeks extra, refused.

As far as i'm concerned LLs are bastards who feed off the less well off to buy them a house and secure a pension.

I ve worked in the charitable sector all my life, never able to afford a house, so either we have more rent controls, more rights for tenants and council housing or people like you will, however "nice" you think you are, will continue to exploit people, because one day you'll want that flat back and some else will be kicked out of their home.

Sorry for the off topic rant :)

@MereDintofPandiculation , re bus passes for oldies, I can’t speak for other areas, but around here (outer London) where public transport is very good, IMO bus passes keep a lot of cars off the road. Unless I’m going to be doing a lot of heavy shopping - rare nowadays - I always take the bus instead of driving.

In Wales here too OP - so free prescriptions all round.

I would have been with you re: the paracetamol until my dad was prescribed it as part of his cancer treatment. He took it as a painkiller from the early days and even later alongside the morphine (apparently it helps it work or something). He queried the getting it on prescription and said he would buy it - but they pointed out the quantities needed as he was taking daily would be difficult to get OTC.