Free prescriptions to be scrapped – over 60s may have to pay average £380 per year | Personal Finance | Finance
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The free NHS prescription age is currently set at 60, however, a consultation proposes this age rise to align with the state pension age. If this were to go ahead, it could mean many people between the age of 60 and 65 end up losing out on free prescriptions. Many have hit back against the proposal, urging the Government to keep the age at which a free prescription can be obtained at 60.
The study also highlighted the areas where pharmaceutical spending has increased the most.
Britain does not make the top 10, however, close neighbours and allies are spending hefty sums on medication.
The United States tops the list, with a yearly spend per person by £894.62, followed by Switzerland at £650.86.
Germany, Canada, Belgium, France, Austria Bulgaria, Italy and the Republic of Korea round up the top 10.
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Out of all the 35 countries featured in the research, it was Mexico which was found to have the lowest average spend per year of £184.63.
The research also showed over the past five years there has been a 12.56 percent increase in pharmaceutical spending in the UK.
If a person does not fit into any of the prescription exemption groups in England, they will have to meet prescription charges.
Currently, the cost of a prescription per item is set at £9.35 after a rise in April 2021.
In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, people get prescriptions for free as devolved governments oversee health policies.
If an age rise were to take place then, some individuals may have to confront payments once again.
Prescription charges were first introduced in 1952, subsequently abolished, and then reintroduced in 1968, with exemptions in place.
Historically the initial exemption age for prescriptions was for people aged 65 and over.
The exemption was then extended to women aged 60 and over in 1974, and then men aged 60 and over in 1995, based on the state pension age for women at that time.
However, the rise in the state pension age to 66, the consultation argued, has now created a disconnect between the age-based exemption and the state pension age.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson previously told Express.co.uk: “The age people get free prescriptions in England has not changed since 1974 for women, and 1995 for men so we are consulting on aligning the upper age exemption from prescription charges with the state pension age.
“We continue to protect the most vulnerable and support is available for those on a low income and those on certain benefits.
“Almost 90 percent of prescription items dispensed in the community in England in 2019 were free of charge, and there are other exemptions in place for certain medical conditions and expectant or new mothers.”
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