Following months of parliamentary debate and public petitions, the proposals to align the upper age exemption for NHS prescription charges with the state pension age, which is currently 66, have been ruled out.
The Department of Health and Social Care, which led the consultation, announced the upper-age exemption will remain frozen at 60 for the foreseeable to ease the growing cost pressures people are facing up and down the country.
The decision, announced yesterday, has proven popular, with many branding the move as “sensible” as well as highlighting the significant impact it’ll have on their finances.
Jacky Flood, 62, Chesham, told Express.co.uk: “I’m really pleased with the news. I stopped paying for prescriptions when I turned 60.
“As you get older, you get more ailments and need more medication. I take medication daily now. If I had to start paying for prescriptions again, I wouldn’t be able to afford them, especially with how much they cost now.”
READ MORE: Huge boost for over 60s as free prescription age is frozen at 60
Express reader, lordrobert, commented: “At last, something sensible.” Alison2015 said: “I would say these days most people over 60 are working to make ends meet as the pensionable age is 66 at the moment.
Alison2015 continued: “It does make sense, seeing as health problems do tend to appear the older you get, to make access to medication required easy so that people can continue to work up to 66.”
Commenting on the news, Neil O’Brien, the minister for health said: “This Government recognises the pressures with the cost of living caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We have decided to maintain the prescription exemption age where it is. Nine out of 10 prescriptions are already free at the point of use and on top of that we also provide financial help to others on low incomes who don’t automatically get prescriptions for free.”
Laura Cockram, chair of the Prescription Charges Coalition and head of policy and campaigns for Parkinson’s UK said she was relieved the proposals would not go ahead.
She said: “We are pleased to hear the UK Government is scrapping this plan. We know this is a false economy as making people pay for prescriptions can actually cost the NHS more in the long term. And we know this policy would have put financial pressure on an older population which we fear could have had disastrous consequences for their health.
“However abandoning this unpopular plan doesn’t address the underlying problem that the prescription charge exemption system needs to be reviewed urgently. It is putting the health of patients at risk which we fear will intensify as the charges increase.
“Right now, people are having to make very difficult choices about whether they feed their families, pay bills or take their medication, which is essential for them staying well. Instead, the charges force unwell people to rely more on the NHS, which is already at breaking point.
“The UK Government’s bid to create a healthier nation will fail if it doesn’t commit to reviewing the outdated prescription charge exemption list.”
Ian Budd, prescriber and clinical lead at Chemist4U also welcomed the news, saying: “It will grant peace of mind to patients who are most in need and may have been worrying about an extra cost to contend with on top of rising household bills.
“Those who are not eligible for free prescriptions shouldn’t be too disappointed though, as prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) can also help to reduce the cost of your monthly prescriptions, especially for those who need three or more prescriptions a month.”
Prepayment certificates (PPC) are available to help with frequent prescriptions, should they be required.
PPCs cover all prescriptions at a set price and generally save people money if they need more than three items in three months or 11 items in 12 months. This is because while a prescription typically costs £9.65 per item, a PPC costs £31.25 for three months, and £111.60 for 12 months.
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