One woman was charged £500 after failing to prove her eligibility for her NHS prescriptions.
The Patients Association says the rules surrounding the £9.65 per item levy should be simplified.
The call comes after BBC Money Box listeners explained how they struggled to navigate the rules and ended up with fines because they got it wrong.
Mel was homeless and suffering from depression. When she did find somewhere to live, one of the first letters she received was a £500 prescription penalty charge.
She was on Universal Credit and thought she could get them free.
Mel said: “The letters were quite frightening actually. They were blunt and it transpired that basically, I was responsible for finding the letter that says I’m entitled.
“But I explained the pharmacy assistant did that for me and maybe they ticked the wrong box as they were so busy.”
Thanks to help from a support worker, Mel was able to dispute her charge and they withdrew her penalty.
She continued: “I’m really worried that sometimes people will just pay up because they don’t have the capacity or somebody to help them, or because they find the letters so threatening.”
Mel was eligible for free prescriptions and shouldn’t have received the letters.
Over 235,000 people have been issued with a prescription penalty charge notice since last year.
Prescriptions are free for those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, however, in England, only some groups can get it free.
The NHS Business Services Authority said: “Patients can check they are eligible for free NHS prescriptions before claiming by using the free eligibility checker at http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/check . It takes just three minutes”.
The Government has announced the free NHS prescription age will remain frozen at 60, alleviating fears of vulnerable older people not being able to afford vital medication.
Free NHS prescriptions are a benefit that a variety of Britons can access, not just those over 60.
People on state benefits like Universal Credit could be exempt from paying for their prescriptions depending on their circumstances.
Benefits such as income support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance and Pension Credit could also mean someone is entitled to free prescriptions.
Individuals can get prescriptions for free if they are entitled to or named on a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate.
They will qualify if they 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.
For more information, Britons can visit the Government website.
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