Prescription Charges...

[streetster]

BBC News - Prescription charges to increase by 20p in England

Can someone explain the justfication behind the English soon to be paying £7.40/prescription, Scotland to be paying £0, whilst Wales and Northern Ireland already pay nothing.

[kalniel]

BBC News - Prescription charges to increase by 20p in England

Can someone explain the justfication behind the English soon to be paying £7.40/prescription, Scotland to be paying £0, whilst Wales and Northern Ireland already pay nothing.

The English have their priorities elsewhere (though prescriptions are still free for most people in England)

[jackvdbuk]

the majority are exempt from the charge anyway, and its a good price still compared to buying pills in say the USA. im guessing that £7.40 compared to pill pricing means it is heavily subsided. i dont see the problem sorry

[streetster]

I guess my complaint is not that England is paying £7.40, is that W/S/NI aren't also paying £7.40. I'm not suggesting England gets free prescriptions, just that everyone pays the same.

However this may be fairly naiive of me.

The English have their priorities elsewhere

Does this mean that the NHS operates as a separate entity for E/W/S/NI? Or is it one big pot?

I've just been having a read of this Welsh report which says that before prescriptions were made available to everyone some 50% of the population were entitled to free prescriptions over 88% of all prescriptions given out were for free. So the 12% of 60 million prescriptions really isnt much revenue lost. Much less than I was expecting it to be at least.


Heck, if everyone wins then I'll survive, I probably only spend about £5/year on prescriptions anyway, certainly not worth popping across the border to get it for free!

[kalniel]

Does this mean that the NHS operates as a separate entity for E/W/S/NI? Or is it one big pot?

I don't honestly know, it could be as simple as the other nations paying a UK wide subscription charge on behalf of their patriots.

[finlay666]

(though prescriptions are still free for most people in England)

No they aren't, the basic eligibility is:

* are 60 or over
* are under 16
* are 16-18 and in full-time education
* are pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months and have a valid maternity exemption certificate (MatEx)
* have a specified medical condition and have a valid medical exemption certificate (MedEx)
* have a continuing physical disability that prevents you from going out without help from another person and have a valid MedEx
* hold a valid war pension exemption certificate and the prescription is for your accepted disability
* are an NHS inpatient
* Income Support
* Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
* Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or
* Pension Credit Guarantee Credit


So if you are of working age & have a job you have to pay, except in a few circumstances

(there are some things that are free, but they are limited)

[g8ina]

Even though Im medically retired and will not work again, I still have to pay for mine, but I use the annual subscription, which saves me over 300 quid a year. Roll on freebies, will save me another ton-ish.

[finlay666]

Even though Im medically retired and will not work again, I still have to pay for mine, but I use the annual subscription, which saves me over 300 quid a year. Roll on freebies, will save me another ton-ish.

I got a pre paid certificate after my op, as dressings are per dressing (and I was using one a day) I saved a huge amount in the 3 months

[TeePee]

People rag on the USA's healthcare, often very fairly, but you can buy most generics for around $4 a scrip. The problem comes if you need many drugs, or need a new drug that's still 'owned' by the developer. Then you can start paying hundreds a dose. There's also pressure from the drug companies, both on doctors and the public to get prescriptions for the expensive drugs. (Half the adverts on TV are 'Do you have this list of broad ranging symptoms? Ask your Doctor for XXX'). Often a cheap generic will do as well.

[finlay666]

(Half the adverts on TV are 'Do you have this list of broad ranging symptoms? Ask your Doctor for XXX'). Often a cheap generic will do as well.

When I was in San Fran a lot of the adverts were medical ones, seen viagra advertised on Ice Hockey games.

The funny thing was a worrying number had a potential side effect of "anal leakage"

[TeePee]

It's warped. It takes advantage of the gullible who love to self diagnose. But then, living here is often like living in a hospital for 'special' people. Sure there are some doctors around, but most people are retarded beyond belief. I survive as only a British gentlemen can. Stiff upper lip and chat up all the nurses.

[Andeh13]

+1 for the OP, why do we get treated so differently then Scotland/Wales? University is the other one, they don't have to pay for university, which would have saved me £26,000...hell, had I gone to a Scottish Uni i would only have had to pay half!

[Bluecube]

Because the Scottish/ Welsh governments have got it wrong. Making things free is not a good thing as it means prescriptions will be dolled out like sweeties. You need to charge for these things to make people ask themselves if they really need it. Fair enough, have a option to reduce charges for those that need long term prescriptions but for the average person who rarely needs a prescription there's no harm in charging them.

As for university fees, that's whole other argument...

[santa claus]

Because the Scottish/ Welsh governments have got it wrong. Making things free is not a good thing as it means prescriptions will be dolled out like sweeties. You need to charge for these things to make people ask themselves if they really need it. Fair enough, have a option to reduce charges for those that need long term prescriptions but for the average person who rarely needs a prescription there's no harm in charging them.

As for university fees, that's whole other argument...

Now that UK Government is devolved, each part of the UK can decide where its priorities lie in relation to the welfare and prosperity of its people's specific needs.

In Wales and Scotland, greater priority is placed on the health of each respective nation and the Governments choose to invest more of the budget that they have for running their Country on the health of the people. Specifically, medical charges have been removed. This is not some sort of freebee: what Scotland and Wales spend on relieving prescription charges, they cannot spend on other community-related improvement.

England could remove prescription charges but it has decided (to date) that the money is better spent elsewhere.

Health care for all, even those who cannot afford it, is a cornerstone of the British way of life. The NHS (which was founded by a Welshman, Aneurin Bevan) is a jewel that will look after you whether you are a City banker or a binman.

Lobby the English Government if you want it to change its priorities but don't knock Scotland and Wales for looking after the health of their people before, say, pristine roads. And remember, there is greater poverty in the celtic nations and it possibly follows that health suffers as a result.

[Bluecube]

I'll knock the Scottish government if I want to as they're my government after all! I really don't agree with free prescriptions at all because, as you said, it costs money that could be better spent elsewhere. Simply providing people with free drugs doesn't necessarily mean that healthcare improves.

[santa claus]

So you have no faith in either your Government or your GP's who, apparently, prescribe drugs on account of the fact that they are free rather than needed?