The Government is under fresh pressure to abandon “cruel” proposals to increase the age at which older people will qualify for free prescriptions as the cost of living continues to spiral.
Ministers were warned older people could be forced to ration their medications in order to pay for food and utilities if the free prescriptions age is increased from 60 to 66.
If the rise in the age ceiling takes place, People with Parkinson’s disease could face a £6,000 bill for medications unless they apply for a money-saving prepayment certificate, charity Parkinson’s UK warned.
“The pandemic has hit people hard and households are already worrying about how they are going to be able to afford rising bills and national insurance contributions.
“To hit people approaching 60 with six more years of spiralling prescription charges for long-term health conditions that are outside of their control is cruel,” said Laura Cockram, chair of the Prescription Charges CoalitionY and head of policy and campaigns at Parkinson’s UK.
Putting “a heftier price on the medications that change people’s lives will place more pressure on stretched NHS services and could even be fatal,” she added.
Ministers have closed a consultation on raising the upper age exemption for prescription charges in England from 60 to 66, which would bring it in line with the new state pension age. It could also raise additional funds for the NHS – in 2019 prescription charges in England generated £600m.
A decision from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has not been announced but older people, doctors and pharmacists are becoming increasingly concerned amid the uncertainty.
Prescription charges – which have risen 14 times faster than the cost of a pint of milk and 12 times faster than a loaf of bread since 1979 – disproportionately affect people with long-term health conditions, said the Prescription Charges Coalition.
Unless an individual is exempt due to their age, income or condition, each prescription item costs £9.35. But the coalition called for the charges to be scrapped altogether in England, in line with Wales and Scotland.
Ms Cockram added: “Both those with long-term health conditions, and pharmacists alike, are sharing experiences where people are having to ration their medication to make it last longer.
“Others simply choose to go without some or all their medications, just so they can pay for their heating, or petrol to get to work. This is not a decision that people take lightly, nor is it one that the Government should be forcing them into.”
Medicine for an individual with Parkinson’s over six years could cost around £6,000, based on needing an average of nine prescriptions a month to manage the condition. However a prescription prepayment certificate allows people to get as many prescriptions as they require for £108.10 a year.
Paying upfront is often an issue for some people with little disposable income, while others remain unaware of the certificates.
If the Government decides to change the rules around free prescriptions, it could continue protecting current 60 to 65-year-olds.
The Department of Health and Social Care said: “Around 90 per cent of community prescription items in England are free of charge, and people don’t pay if they are on a low income, over 60 years old, or have certain medical conditions.
“The upper age exemption has not changed since 1995 and that is why we have consulted on restoring the link with the state pension age. We are considering the responses carefully and will respond in due course.”
