Helping the government save money

[Samdelila]

I think free prescriptions for people with certain conditions should be means tested. What else could the government cut to save money?

The NHS is an emotive subject, which people feel passionately about, the problem most people have are that taxes continue to rise year on year, however they are spun, without people seeing any improvement.

There should be proper reform and removal of hundreds of billions in wastage before we start asking the working people for more money.

Child benefit… free hours at nurseries,..universal credit… free education… free healthcare. Doesn’t sound so good now does it?

Or 2 weeks or 4 weeks instead of a month.

I get mine every 4 weeks in dosette boxes.
The pharmacist makes them up.
Nothing is wasted.

Ah apologies, I thought you were reacting to my post as you quoted it and said 'posts like this'. Admittedly, I have not read all the OP's posts, just a few at the start. Having said that, I have seen this sort of emotive response again and again on here and in every other form of media whenever a cut to anything is even timidly floated. The UK population needs to get real as the economy is in a dire state, like lots of other countries.

I was asking for good ideas.

🙄

How would it save money? Have you done the maths?

The health conditions that attract free prescriptions are not isolated to one body part. They are systemic. Diabetes is not just about blood sugars. It affects everything.

Anyone in England on regular medication can get a pre-payment certificate anyway.
By insisting this person you know pays £120 a year is not going to really make any meaningful dent in debt we have.

Let’s cut the free prescriptions under the maternity exemption too and the HRT exemption. Would save £70m

The Prepayment Certificate costs the NHS £882m, perhaps OP wants to cut that too?

You can. It’s a statement of fact. I had to do it. So why should multi-millionaires with mansions or 2nd,3rd,4th homes be exempted?

Don’t give her any more bad ideas!

How can the economy boom if people can’t afford medications that ensure they are not too sick to work?

How does 80 year old Mabel, on state pension, remortgage her (fully paid for) home?
if she sells up……she still has to f’ing live somewhere.

Equity release?

I don’t think it’s a good plan, but assets should be looked at as well as income.

I have a prescription exemption certificate for hypothyroidism and I've never thought much about it. I have to admit we are well off and could easily pay for prescriptions, but my GP had always encouraged me to claim the exemption and I never considered not doing so. The condition doesn't affect me severely, I'm only slightly over the threshold and it's not life-threatening for me, but I got diagnosed 25 years ago and have been getting free prescriptions for most of my adult life.

It is a bit odd that very rich people could be claiming it if they happen to have certain conditions. But it probably wouldn't save that much money overall to means test it.

? I was talking about people with medical exemption cards for free prescriptions, not pensioners. Most of us are working age and in a job.

Edit: That is the OP’s cost savings suggestion in post #1 is it not? That free prescriptions for certain conditions should be stopped or at least means tested?

Having untreated hypothyroidism can be extremely serious.
people who are properly medicated may not realise the seriousness of how life threatening it can be if not treated……thats why it’s on the list of exempted conditions. Basically your internal organ can start to shut down in the worst of cases. People often think that if it’s just a case of popping a couple of pills daily……it can’t really be that serious, can’t it?
if you were made to pay…some people on the breadline may not realise their life is at stake.

I will be honest if they cut the prepayment certificate I would probably keep my acid reflux medication but as my blood pressure medication is quite low then it would be tempting to stop it as I was in two minds to take it (GP said it was entirely my decision to treat or not). I guess a heart attack or stroke would cost a lot more than subsidising a pre payment prescription.

I guess that’s the issue with making health based decisions only on cost.

Whilst the OP was very goady , I kinda of agree

In NI we have a devolved heath service - prescriptions are free - to everyone. Because of that appointments are being taken up by patients who only need an over the counter item , because why pay when I can get ir free?

Our Pharmacies are allowed to prescribe for certain conditions - under the counter - so yes you can get Canistan FOC etc etc

The thing is, with the English programme of who gets charged and who doesnt. its less then 30% who pay a prescription charge , which is why they are so expensive

If everyone paid, apart from those on IC related benefit and those in primary education ( uo to university ) ,the cost per an Item item would drop significantly and we as a nation could afford a prescription

Im cutting my nose to spite my face, I take 3 prescriptions a month at the moment, which diet and lifestyle changes haven't altered so I would be worse off finically. However how may others will be moved to make the lifestyle choice they need to keep their bills low ?

a lot are in both camps……due to ageing.
im early 60s……nearing retirement and have some health conditions starting to rear their ugly heads…..
and yes….im still working full time, always have….and due to hypothyroidism I now have an exemption cert.
and no….im not a bloody multimillionaire who can easily sell up or cash in on my many fictional luxury homes 🙄

How about making the Royal Family's fortune public and stop their funding, stop them owning the sea bed and so much more, all of which should be working for the country's benefit, let's stop the 25% of our council tax funding pensions (the low salary excuse no longer applies), let's stop outsourcing services to companies that then charge a ridiculous amount to administer and top slice before they do what they were supposedly to do more cheaply when we have civil servants who should be managing them, let's ban ultra processed foods and be proactive with our health, let's fix roads and not lob tarmac into holes that pops out in days, let's educate and police our country effectively to save funding so many prison places, let's stop benefits till you earn enough to have contributed, let's make those that father children pay for them, let's stop the pig pen of Lord's expenses and MP's additional jobs and ridiculous rent costs when you and I would commute the distance... really I am making the point that we are not managing our country but seem to be unable to stop the rot for fear of offending someone, somewhere and always firefighting and we can't stop multi million pound benefit frauds or recover the money, so free prescriptions are not the issue and yes, administering it would cost more than we recover as we seem incapable of running the country well. Is the real issue that those of us who contribute are funding an increasing number who have never, will never, put anything into the pot (and I am not talking about those with real disabilities and need). Be careful where lines are drawn with who can and who cannot afford something, for fear it hits us all hard and generalisations about those who are well off are allowing our government to make decisions that are squeezing an increasingly number of our population dry. Just wait till this April's bills come in!

Here’s another idea. When a couple separate, the government can work out the minimum cost to raise a child per month. Each parent expected to contribute. Both parents expected to maximise income to provide for children, particularly non resident parents. If non resident parent doesn’t work much then money can come out of their pension pot so the children do not miss out. If all non resident parents were expected to financially support their children other than very extreme circumstances then this would help the benefits bill massively.

And if the non-resident parent can’t or won’t, then any benefits paid to the resident parent are treated as a loan to the non-resident parent, paid back in a similar way to student loans.

Neither was I.
Imho assets should be considered if means testing were to be introduced for prescription cost exemptions.

However, I am totally against cutting or means testing free prescriptions for medical conditions.

They do apply, when someone needs a care home and will not live in their own home again.
There is nothing to be gained from making someone sell the house they live in, or do equity release on the house they live in, to be able to still claim means tested benefits and still need a home to live in.