With a tough winter approaching and a continuous cost of living crisis affecting everyone - people are trying to save money where they can to get by.
Prescribed medicines can be a matter of life and death but the cost of those can wrack up, especially if required to be purchased weekly or even monthly.
And while there are some groups who are classed as exempt from paying prescription costs, the Government last year held a consultation with a view to make changes to who has to pay for their healthcare.
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The Mirror reports that in the July 2021 consultation, the Government held talks to raise the minimum age for a free prescription from 60 to 66, in line with the state pension age. However, these talks came to a close in September last year - with no changes yet agreed.
The move was condemned by charity Age UK, which heavily criticised the proposal as 'self-defeating' on their website, adding: "Our biggest worry about this proposal is its potential impact on people’s health, especially if their money is tight. We are deeply concerned they may be reluctant to act on symptoms, seek medical advice or get a diagnosis, for fear they will be unable to afford long term, symptom relieving or even in some cases lifesaving medication."
There doesn't appear to have been an update on the proposal since September last year, however Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has indicated that more austerity is likely to be on the way, meaning that the government will be once again considering which services it can cut. At present however, there are still 15 groups which are exempt from paying the standard prescription fee of £9.35 per item, including people aged 60 and over.
You can also apply for a Pre-Payment Certificate (PPC) if you are on long-term medication, this costs £30.25 for three months and £108.10 for 12 months.
Who is eligible for a free prescription?
According to the NHS website, you can claim a free prescription if you are:
- aged 60 or over
- aged under 16
- aged 16 to 18 and in full-time education
- are pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months and possess 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 going out without help from another person and have a valid medical exemption certificate (MedEx)
- hold a valid war pension exemption certificate and the prescription is for your accepted disability are an NHS inpatient
You can also claim a free prescription if you or your partner receive some form of benefit, or you are under 20 and reliant on someone who receives one of the following payments:
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
- Universal Credit and meet the criteria
Free prescriptions are also available to people on qualifying forms of tax credit. The NHS lists these as:
- A valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate – if you do not have a certificate, you can show your award notice. You qualify if you get Child Tax Credits, Working Tax Credits with a disability element (or both), and have income for tax credit purposes of £15,276 or less
- A valid NHS certificate for full help with health costs (HC2)
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