Since working in the Pharmacy at Boots, I've had my eyes opened to how this system actually works.
In Scotland, prescriptions carry no fees if:
+ You are under 18, or aged 16 and 17 but in full-time education
+ You are over 60
+ You are "medically exempt" (more on this later)
+ You have a pre-payment certificate (you still have to pay for your script but the charge is a one-off payment for 4 months [£13] or 12 months [£38], which, in cases where large quantities of phamaceuticals are required, is actually an astronomical saving - you simply do not have to pay when you collect/hand in your script)
+ You are receiving X, Y and Z benefits (there are quite a few - the basic idea is that if you're on benefits then you get your script for free).
For those who are not exempt from paying for prescriptions, the charge is currently £4 per item (e.g. in my case I order cetirizine, sodium cromoglicate, ibuprofen and xylometazoline, so I'd pay £16 if I was any older than I am now).
I am unsure of prescription charges in other countries so forgive me if I'm wrong in thinking that England and the majority of the USA must pay for their prescriptions.
The purpose of this thread is to discuss the appropriateness of charging for prescriptions. Should there be a charge at all? If you must pay for your healthcare, should prescriptions be included in this cost? Is the cost too high or low? If one person is paying for it, shouldn't everyone?
My boss himself once suggested that there should indeed be a charge for everyone but not at the full price of the medicines - if everyone made a contribution of the current £4 per item for their prescriptions, wouldn't our health service be in a better financial position? In complete fairness, I've seen a hell of a lot of medicines being thrown away after being prescribed, sometimes only days later, and the patient hasn't paid for any of it (although some of this is due to a distinct lack of communication between GPs and Pharmacies - I may cover this later). On the other hand, if patients had to pay, say, £4 per item, patients like my mum would be broke - she orders such a large quantity of potentially life-saving medicine every month that she often leaves the shop with two rather large carrier bags. I counted no less than 50 different medicines in one batch (before it comes up, it is all essential). Although her prescription is proportionately larger, that fee would simply not be plausible (instead, she has a 12 month pre-payment certificate, which costs £38 as stated earlier).
As a small sub-thought, box D in prescription exemption states that the patient is "medically exempt" - a small number of medical conditions are exempt from paying for prescriptions, diabetes and epilepsy being the most prevalent. Is it right that an epileptic or diabetic should receive free prescriptions over those who are in need of blood pressure or cholesterol tablets (for example)?
I'll leave this thread for now with a source which explains thoroughly the prescription charge exemptions and also shares some insight as to why it is not entirely appropriate:
http://www.scottishsocialistparty.org/scrap/scrap06.html
In Scotland, prescriptions carry no fees if:
+ You are under 18, or aged 16 and 17 but in full-time education
+ You are over 60
+ You are "medically exempt" (more on this later)
+ You have a pre-payment certificate (you still have to pay for your script but the charge is a one-off payment for 4 months [£13] or 12 months [£38], which, in cases where large quantities of phamaceuticals are required, is actually an astronomical saving - you simply do not have to pay when you collect/hand in your script)
+ You are receiving X, Y and Z benefits (there are quite a few - the basic idea is that if you're on benefits then you get your script for free).
For those who are not exempt from paying for prescriptions, the charge is currently £4 per item (e.g. in my case I order cetirizine, sodium cromoglicate, ibuprofen and xylometazoline, so I'd pay £16 if I was any older than I am now).
I am unsure of prescription charges in other countries so forgive me if I'm wrong in thinking that England and the majority of the USA must pay for their prescriptions.
The purpose of this thread is to discuss the appropriateness of charging for prescriptions. Should there be a charge at all? If you must pay for your healthcare, should prescriptions be included in this cost? Is the cost too high or low? If one person is paying for it, shouldn't everyone?
My boss himself once suggested that there should indeed be a charge for everyone but not at the full price of the medicines - if everyone made a contribution of the current £4 per item for their prescriptions, wouldn't our health service be in a better financial position? In complete fairness, I've seen a hell of a lot of medicines being thrown away after being prescribed, sometimes only days later, and the patient hasn't paid for any of it (although some of this is due to a distinct lack of communication between GPs and Pharmacies - I may cover this later). On the other hand, if patients had to pay, say, £4 per item, patients like my mum would be broke - she orders such a large quantity of potentially life-saving medicine every month that she often leaves the shop with two rather large carrier bags. I counted no less than 50 different medicines in one batch (before it comes up, it is all essential). Although her prescription is proportionately larger, that fee would simply not be plausible (instead, she has a 12 month pre-payment certificate, which costs £38 as stated earlier).
As a small sub-thought, box D in prescription exemption states that the patient is "medically exempt" - a small number of medical conditions are exempt from paying for prescriptions, diabetes and epilepsy being the most prevalent. Is it right that an epileptic or diabetic should receive free prescriptions over those who are in need of blood pressure or cholesterol tablets (for example)?
This is a selection of modern medical conditions which were undiscovered when the medical exemption was introduced to prescriptions - my mum has 4 of the worst and yet must pay for her prescription. Is this right?
- Cancer
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Asthma
- Psoriasis
- Crohn’s Disease
- Schizophrenia
- Glaucoma
- Arthritis
- Chronic Leukaemia
- HIV/AIDS
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Hepatitis C
I'll leave this thread for now with a source which explains thoroughly the prescription charge exemptions and also shares some insight as to why it is not entirely appropriate:
http://www.scottishsocialistparty.org/scrap/scrap06.html