Should prescriptions be free to all ?

[Lamp]

BBC NEWS | Health | NHS charges to rise in England

Prescriptions are free for everyone in Wales, will be free in Northern Ireland by 2010 and in Scotland by 2011. Surely its not beyond the ability of the governemt to make up the £400m deficit in lost NHS revenues ? Maybe they could print the money....(AKA Quantitative Easing)

Or maybe there should be a small flat fee for all? What do you think?

 

[Raven]

No, just those that work.

 

[Bugz]

You can't just print off 400 million quid lol.

 

[Raven]

Just watch them, Uncle Gordon is taking tips of Robert Mugabe.

 

[Lamp]

Quantitative Easing is on the cards. And it will be more than 400 million. They've cut interest rates to 0.5%. The US government has been q-easing for some time. We're next. Getting the balance right is - obviously - critical.

 

[Bugz]

Okey - well they shouldn't be quantitatively easing if you ask me.

Least wait till inflation drops properly!

 

[Laddey]

No, just those that work.

lol and what about those, like me, who live on the dole due to the country being a fucking hell hole.

£90 a fort night is fuck all as it is, i dont need to be scraping £7.20 together for my heartburn tablets every week or so

 

[Lamp]

If you're on the dole can you get free prescriptions? Or is that only if you're claiming sickness benefit?

 

[megadave]

I dont really think they should be free. However if the rest of the UK is getting them free from English taxes then thats a load of horsh shit. Although not suprising since English taxes have been paying for Scots for years. They are a bit of a retarded little sibbling though to be fair. Like all northerners.

 

[Laddey]

I get free prescriptions yeah, cos im on job seekers. If i was working i would pay for the prescriptions no problem.

£7.20 a week isnt much to say, £200 rather than £45.

 

[megadave]

no1 read the article ?

But the government has stressed that 89% of prescription charges in England are dispensed for free.
Pensioners and children are exempt from the charges, as are pregnant women, people on income-related benefits and patients with certain conditions.



Seems pretty fair as it is, in England.

 

[Mey]

Quantitative easing is exactly what we need, non of this dropping the interest rate bullshit. By dropping the interest rate you are cutting the margin banks can make on interest, as a result they are not going to have as much money to lend.

 

[Bugz]

The biggest problem in our economy at the moment is confidence and expectation.

IMO at least.

 

[Cadelin]

But the government has stressed that 89% of prescription charges in England are dispensed for free.

So why do the remaining 11% have to pay? The ones that have to pay are the ones already paying tax. An extra tax on people who work and are ill, sounds completely fair!

 

[Zenith.UK]

I dont really think they should be free. However if the rest of the UK is getting them free from English taxes then thats a load of horsh shit. Although not suprising since English taxes have been paying for Scots for years. They are a bit of a retarded little sibbling though to be fair. Like all northerners.

And I was waiting for someone to say it.
Yes, a large chunk of the Welsh Assembly budget comes from Westminster but don't for a minute think of the money as "English" money. For taxation purposes, England and Wales are considered one and the same.
Instead of Westminster deciding on all policy areas in all parts of the UK, devolution is all about local government addressing what they see as unique features of their area. So the Welsh Assembly Govt have redirected £30million into making prescriptions free of charge. Since I live in Wales I think that it's a great idea and I have personally benefitted from it.

 

[Huntingtons]

imagine if a 10 year old randomly googled for the first time and found this thread. He would lose all faith in life THINK OF THE YOUNG ONES! where's the nasty cuss-words, the mindless insulting and the lame captation pictures?

 

[kirennia]

no1 read the article ?

But the government has stressed that 89% of prescription charges in England are dispensed for free.
Pensioners and children are exempt from the charges, as are pregnant women, people on income-related benefits and patients with certain conditions.



Seems pretty fair as it is, in England.

Well I'm forking out I think as said earlier £7.20 for both salbutamol and Qvar as an asthmatic as well as heartburn tablets. Why should I have to pay when diabetics don't; we both end up in hospital and can die if we don't get our medication... is death by asphixia(sp?) deemed not a serious enough problem? Granted some can argue certain life choices by certain asthmatics mean they should have to pay but then, why does the same not apply to diabetics...

Ever since I was 18 I've had to pay for this medication (When I completed my a-levels), even when I barely had a penny to my name and when you're a student, life gets even worse. Ever had to weigh up while on the breadline whether to eat or buy medication?

I realise that sounds a bit full on, especially when others in the world have to consider this at a much harsher degree but if my paying meant they got medication, I wouldn't care but it simply doesn't...

I never knew if you claimed random benefits you got free prescriptions, very interesting.

 

[haarewin]

Where is the government going to get £400m from? Gordon Brown seems to be "borrowing" unlimited amounts out of cash from god knows where as it is.

£7.20 now?! Ugh. That's gonna be fun telling people. I remember having to fuck about with the shitty old computer at work when the increased charge wouldn't go through the till. This is gonna be just as fun again ¬¬
Actually it's such a fucking joy dispensing prescriptions. The people on income support are all quick enough to yell it at you when you ask them for the charge, but they don't ever tick the box on the back off the script saying that they are. *****.

The thing is, it's the people that get the most scripts that get free ones. And because of this they are living too long and costing more and more. Voluntary transitioning is the way forward. There needs to be some kind of fee for everyone in my eyes. And I can understand cancer patients not being able to pay the charges, but pre-pay certificates are a very cheap way to do things like this - it just seems like people are completely unaware of them as an option.