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Post by peterob on Jul 31, 2024 11:30:31 GMT
Free prescriptions for pensioners is to go next. Has this been announced or is it the speculation of the Oracle of Dalesies? Speculation I should think. I strongly suspect that a huge amount of prescribing for chronic conditions isn't done on a personal needs basis but on a population statistics basis - i.e as a risk reduction measure quantified in terms of x fewer further care consequences per 100,000 treatments. Having had a stroke I'll be prescribed tablets for the rest of my life because it is probably a NICE guideline. Restricting free prescriptions for the over 60s would require means testing for affordability - very, very expensive to do, and needs-based treatment. This latter would cause the GP system to implode. if they stopped blanket prescribing for risk reduction then the NHS would implode. |
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Post by mick on Jul 31, 2024 12:08:35 GMT
But the 'promise' is that tax won't be increased for 'working people'. By definition we pensioners are not working people and so we must be fair game!!
Mick
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Post by mark101 on Jul 31, 2024 12:20:11 GMT
National debt cannot and should not be viewed in the same manner as personal or household debt since they are different, Show me a Country without national debt, there are very few.
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Post by mark101 on Jul 31, 2024 12:22:07 GMT
I don't understand this- so unless you get pension credit you don't get the winter fuel payment? But pension credit is aimed at bringing those who do not have NI etc in line with the basic state pension, which isn't means tested but at the end of the day a person on pension credit and a person on basic state pension get the same income so does this mean the person on the basic state pension doesn't get the winter fuel payment even though their income may be the same as the person on pension credit? Great Observation Lesley. |
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Post by spinno on Jul 31, 2024 14:00:38 GMT
Free prescriptions for pensioners is to go next. Has this been announced or is it the speculation of the Oracle of Dalesies? The knowall of Keyworth... |
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Post by peterob on Jul 31, 2024 15:05:38 GMT
But the 'promise' is that tax won't be increased for 'working people'. By definition we pensioners are not working people and so we must be fair game!! Mick The state pension is taxable as income, same as a wage. Anyone with savings is going to get relieved of them. I reckon there must be a fair amount in all them ISA accounts. |
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Post by peterba on Jul 31, 2024 17:14:21 GMT
Free prescriptions for pensioners is to go next. Has this been announced or is it the speculation of the Oracle of Dalesies?
It was in the Torygraph... masquerading as 'news'.
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Post by don on Jul 31, 2024 17:57:25 GMT
Personally I don’t care what happens, little ol me worrying about it won’t make a jot of difference I’ll have to wait for their decision and suck up the consequences. I’m not loosing brain cells worrying I have so few I can’t afford to lose any of those still have
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Post by JohnY on Jul 31, 2024 19:28:33 GMT
Has this been announced or is it the speculation of the Oracle of Dalesies?
It was in the Torygraph... masquerading as 'news'.
Not at all. It was in the Torygraph as a bad Torygraph joke. |
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Post by Ivor E Tower on Jul 31, 2024 21:20:11 GMT
It was in the Torygraph... masquerading as 'news'.
Not at all. It was in the Torygraph as a bad Torygraph joke. ... but it wouldn't surprise me if it is true. Pensioners on reduced income cannot afford heating nor medication, die sooner then the government doesn't have to pay them their pension nor pay the NHS to treat them. Call me cynical, if you like.... |
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Post by Chester PB on Jul 31, 2024 23:58:43 GMT
Free prescriptions for pensioners is to go next. This is already happening by stealth, using the devious method of deciding that some items previously only available on prescription can now be purchased without one, meaning that a GP will not issue a prescription for them. In my case this means now paying £6.60 for 10ml of medicated eyedrops that I used to get 'free' (in reality having paid for them many years ago). The pharmacist told me that some medicated shampoos are now in this category too. Fortunately the long-term medication I take for my back could be fatal if I swallowed a month's supply in one day, so remains far too dangerous to be sold without a prescription to somebody unable to travel to Switzerland. |
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Post by MJB on Aug 1, 2024 7:24:07 GMT
Free prescriptions for pensioners is to go next. This is already happening by stealth, using the devious method of deciding that some items previously only available on prescription can now be purchased without one, meaning that a GP will not issue a prescription for them. In my case this means now paying £6.60 for 10ml of medicated eyedrops that I used to get 'free' (in reality having paid for them many years ago). The pharmacist told me that some medicated shampoos are now in this category too. Fortunately the long-term medication I take for my back could be fatal if I swallowed a month's supply in one day, so remains far too dangerous to be sold without a prescription to somebody unable to travel to Switzerland. Just because a product is available over the counter doesn't mean it can't be prescribed by your GP. I don't pay for prescriptions and have had athletes foot treatment prescribed and my wife has a prepayment card for the several drugs she receives for chronic conditions and she has ibuprofen and paracetamol prescribed by our GP. |
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Post by willien on Aug 1, 2024 11:40:27 GMT
Post code health care lottery?
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Post by Chester PB on Aug 3, 2024 0:17:59 GMT
This is already happening by stealth, using the devious method of deciding that some items previously only available on prescription can now be purchased without one, meaning that a GP will not issue a prescription for them. In my case this means now paying £6.60 for 10ml of medicated eyedrops that I used to get 'free' (in reality having paid for them many years ago). The pharmacist told me that some medicated shampoos are now in this category too. Fortunately the long-term medication I take for my back could be fatal if I swallowed a month's supply in one day, so remains far too dangerous to be sold without a prescription to somebody unable to travel to Switzerland. Just because a product is available over the counter doesn't mean it can't be prescribed by your GP. I don't pay for prescriptions and have had athletes foot treatment prescribed and my wife has a prepayment card for the several drugs she receives for chronic conditions and she has ibuprofen and paracetamol prescribed by our GP. My GP surgery told me that they would no longer issue prescriptions to me for the eyedrops, since they could now be purchased 'over the counter', so the use of them is now subject to a kind of means test (can the patient afford them?). I suspect that some pain killers, especially if in regular use and hence with a need to be monitored by the GP, will continue to be available on prescription (as mine are).
This policy for some items will benefit people who usually pay for prescription if the item can be purchased for less that the prescription charge (as with my eyedrops), but makes them more expensive (i.e. no longer free) for pensioners who get free prescriptions. Somebody hasn't thought carefully enough about this... |
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Post by geoffr on Aug 3, 2024 7:10:29 GMT
Just because a product is available over the counter doesn't mean it can't be prescribed by your GP. I don't pay for prescriptions and have had athletes foot treatment prescribed and my wife has a prepayment card for the several drugs she receives for chronic conditions and she has ibuprofen and paracetamol prescribed by our GP. My GP surgery told me that they would no longer issue prescriptions to me for the eyedrops, since they could now be purchased 'over the counter', so the use of them is now subject to a kind of means test (can the patient afford them?). I suspect that some pain killers, especially if in regular use and hence with a need to be monitored by the GP, will continue to be available on prescription (as mine are).
This policy for some items will benefit people who usually pay for prescription if the item can be purchased for less that the prescription charge (as with my eyedrops), but makes them more expensive (i.e. no longer free) for pensioners who get free prescriptions. Somebody hasn't thought carefully enough about this... As mentioned in the election thread, same circus, different clowns. |
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