Prescriptions Charges To Rise By 20P In England.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21629363

/// Free prescriptions were introduced in Wales in 2007, Northern Ireland in 2010 and Scotland in 2011. ///

Why should England be the only part of the UK to have to pay for prescriptions?

Why does the EU allow this discrimination?

[TWR]

There is a lot more issues, that if taken to the E.U. would be Questioned A.O.G. the list is endless, for one, would they allow their citizens to freeze whilst the Power Companies make massive profits?

[WELSHYORKIE]

Papers must be a bit light today if you're having a go at the non-English fraternity, AOG

[bednobs]

i'm not sure the eu rulings can cover healthcare - if it did they would make all eu countries provide the same healthcare as the best. How would you like it if the EU legislated that the UK had to have the same healthcare as france (private)?

[bednobs]

ps a 20p increase is paltry!

[anotheoldgit]

bednobs

/// ps a 20p increase is paltry! ///

£7.85 per item isn't. Neither are Uni fees and elderly health care.

Time England stopped subsidising the rest of the UK.

[woolleysheep]

some prescribed medicines are cheaper to buy than the prescription price

[flump1]

When a person is prescribed a plethora of drugs to manage their condition and give them a decent quality of life, these charges can be a big deal. I once said to my GP before I qualified for free prescriptions that I wanted to stop some of my drugs as I simply could not afford them. His short answer was...You can not. I am not affected by this increase, however I feel for those that are.

[THECORBYLOON]

The rules cover everyone in England so on what basis is the discrimination?

[honeydip]

wooley sheep but some are a LOT more

[ummmm]

I have never paid for a prescription.

My OH on the other hand is on a repeat, will 20p bother him??, No, he won't even notice.

[LazyGun]

Given that the EU consists of 27 odd member states, each with its own type of healthcare system and method of financing the drugs bill , how on earth does a prescription fee even begin to fall within the ambit of EU anti-discrimination laws?

I would have thought you would have been all for the derogation of powers and the retention of sovereign rights and responsibilities....

[woolleysheep]

honeydip- that is what i was advised at the chemist- for some every penny counts

[ummmm]

woolleysheep - Yes, I'm I'm sorry my comment was blasé.

[sir.prize]

They always sneak in the prescriptions charges each year before the March budget. Why is that? Other price and tax increases are announced on Budget Day.

[lcg]

pre-payment certificates cost under £30 for 3 months or £120 a year (payable in installments). i have to buy for me an mr kicker, but it is cheaper this way.

[DangerUXD]

why? Including me only about 4 people in England actually pay them anyway!

[hc4361]

It costs £104 a year for the pre-paid certificate. This is not going up and it is possible to pay by ten direct debits of £10.40 per month.
This makes it very cheap for those of us who need multiple prescription drugs daily.

[LazyGun]

Annual reimbursement to the NHS from monies raised by prescription charges in England is over £450 million a year, as of 2010-2011.

So, a small proportion of the overall cost of NHS drugs bill, thought to be around £9-10billion per year, and only a small proportion of the overall cost of the NHS, but still -every little helps, as they say.

Currently, around 90% of all prescriptions are dispensed on payment exemptions.

[mccfluff]

i have to pay them, as well as tax and NI

[anotheoldgit]

THECORBYLOON

/// The rules cover everyone in England so on what basis is the
discrimination? ///

We live in an United Kingdom, if only one country has to pay for it's prescriptions, then that country is being discriminated against.