Prescription charges are not to be cancelled after all for everyone with a long-term condition lasting at least six months. But why are they not simply abolished? Seriously, why not?
Take out everyone over 60, everyone under 18, everyone on sickness benefits, everyone just on JSA (rather a lot of people at the moment and for the foreseeable future), pregnant women, nursing mothers, cancer patients, everyone in Wales, everyone in Northern Ireland, and before long everyone in Scotland. Exactly how many prescriptions are issued to people who do not fall into any of those categories?
If I were a betting man, then I would give you good odds that the whole thing brought in less money than it cost to administer. Whether or not that is the case, away with it.
Roll on electoral reform.
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It would cost approximately £400m per year to abolish prescription charges, if I remember correctly. And it would, as you rightly point out, only help adults of working age who are not on benefits, who are probably not a key target for handouts right now.
ReplyDeleteTotally disagree - one of the things I've learned living in America is that even seemingly modest copays and prescription charges from their private insurance system end up delivering a huge amount of patient accountability.
ReplyDeleteAs I wrote in my post below, the 'free' health care system delivers thousands of missed appointments and longer waiting lists for everybody. The prescription charges similarly make people accountable for what the NHS gives them.
It doesn't have to be much - certainly not enough to make health care unafforable - but some form of reciprocity is required otherwise the whole system turns into a wasteful black hole.
Oh, wait, too late!
http://www.militantginger.com/2010/01/why-free-health-care-costs-so-much.html
Yes, I totally agree.
ReplyDeleteI have to take Warfarin daily and a months supply costs me £7.20 on prescription. On the open market it would cost around about £1.00 for a months supply (it's a very cheap drug) but as it's only available on prescription I am forced to pay the charges.
I was on Warfarin for a while.
ReplyDeleteBritain's been on "war farin' " since we invaded Iraq in 2003 and it's cost us billions!
ReplyDelete