Future free prescriptions!

[Joo]

Wow! Just found this on another fibro website (FibroAction) in their news section and wondered if you guys would be interested to read it.....................


Patients with long term conditions to get free prescriptions in future


Patients with long-term conditions will get free prescriptions in the future under plans announced by the Prime Minister.

Gordon Brown told the Labour Party conference that prescription charges for cancer patients will be scrapped from next year, with other conditions to follow afterwards.

Prescription charges were scraped in Wales last year and are in the process of being phased out in Scotland. A few medical conditions, such as epilepsy and some forms of diabetes already get free prescriptions, with exemptions also available for children, pensioners and people on certain benefits.

The cost of the measure is expected to be paid for by making savings in the overall drugs budget. Savings are expected to be made by more bulk-buying of drugs and increased use of cheaper generic versions rather than branded ones.

Each prescription item in England currently costs £7.10 and prescription charges raise over £400 million for the NHS, even though the range of exemptions already in place mean that only 12& os precsriptions are currently paid for.

Mr Brown said that:

"Because we know that almost every British family has been touched by cancer, [Health Secretary] Alan Johnson and I know we must do more to relieve the financial worry that so often goes alongside the heartache, so our plan is next year to abolish all prescription charges for everyone with cancer.

And this is not the limit of our commitment to a fair NHS.

In the long-term, as the NHS generates cash savings in its drugs budget, we will plough them back into abolishing charges for all patients with long-term conditions."

It is to be hoped that the scrapping of prescription charges will not make it more difficult for patients with long-term conditions to obtain expensive medications, especially branded versions which can sometimes be better tolerated or more effective. The scrapping of the prescription charge in Wales has already led to some GPs being less willing to prescribe drugs.

In the meantime, patients who pay for more than 3 prescription items in 3 months, or 14 items in 12 months can save money by obtaining a pre-payment prescription certificate (PPC). A 3-month PPC will cost you £27.85 and a 12-month PPC £102.50. (as October 2008)

[Scribbler]

I'd heard snippets of the info - but not read it properly.

All I can say is "Thank goodnes" if GPs stop handing out prescriptions for anything and everything I pay for my prescriptions because hubby works but I sometimes get asked whether I'd like Ibuprofen or similar on my prescription. It only costs about 35p in Tesco  so why it should be put on a prescription... I do struggle to pay for my prescriptions though and I often ask my GP to put each item on a different prescription so that I can spread the cost

[Buffy Boo]

As someone witha dodgy thyroid, I've had free prescriptions for about 10 years now. So Wales going charge free hasn't really affected me although it's been brilliant for Jake as he has a lot of prescription items due to his coeliac condition.
I think that items that are cheaper to buy Over the counter shouldn't be added to scripts but I can see where the more expensive meds are a drain, the pregabalin that I take is about £200 a month. There is no way I'd be able to have that if there were no NHS. So If I had to pay £7.10 I'd still be amking one hell of a saving.
The Welsh Assembly are currently denying reports in the Sunday media that plans are a foot to abolish free prescriptions. Wait and see eh?