Hi mags :)

A very good issue you have touched on there .. with regard to your friend if she lives in England she is most probably covered by the medical exemptions...




The rules are different in Scotland and Wales.


There are various organisations with ongoing campaigns for free prescriptions for people with long term conditions including the NRAS .. see here for the latest on the NRAS campaign. unfortunately the survey is now closed but the campaign goes on.

If you live in England , are you sure you aren't exempt for one of the other reasons ... see HERE , as there are other situations you cab get free / reduced health costs , including the low income scheme, age, and receipt of certain benefits including Working Tax Credit. It is worth checking this to see if you qualify.

More reading ... " Prescription Charges Review" - Professor Gilmore

Hope this clarifies the current situation

Rich

HI RICHC MY FRIEND DOES LIVE IN ENGLAND AND ONLY SUFFERS FROM THIE NEWLY DIAGNOSED UNDERACTIVE THYROID BUT LIKE I SAID SHE GETS ALL HER MEDS FREE NOW?INCLUDING ANYTHING ELSE SHE NEEDS? THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY DON'T UNDERSTAND i'VE BEEN PAYING FOR MINE NOW FOR TWENTY ODD YEARS AND i CAN'T SEE THAT EVER CHANGING.tHE WORLD IS CRAZY REGARDS

Think the argument is not that someone is getting the health concessions , as they are entitled to in legislation , but the fact that so many other people should be getting these concessions as well .
See The "Prescription Charges Review " above .
Your friend's thyroid issues are probably covered in the above Medical Exemptions , two of which state thyroid issues.

All i can say is support any campaign for free health costs , and involve your MP :)

As with a lot of benefits ..you will not get them unless you fit the criteria AND you actually apply . Health costs are generally means tested, however there are exceptions to this (including the medical exemptions above). Look at the first link i supplied to see if you fit ANY of the criteria. If you think you might then apply on form HC1 available from GP's , Dentists etc.

Rich :)

Hi Folks

If you have to pay for your prescriptions you can get a prepayment certificate:

The current cost is:

£28.25 for a 3-month PPC; and
£104.00 for a 12-month PPC.

https://www.ppa.org.uk/ppa/ppcdd/patient.do

This can save you a lot of money. I used to do this, until I was diagnosed with an under-active thyroid, which is one of the things that count as a medical exemption. This has saved me a lot of money since being diagnosed with RA! You save money if you need more than 4 prescriptions in 3 months. If you are not sure you can get an NHS receipt when you get a prescription (a pharmacy has to give you one if you ask) - Its an A4 size form that they have to fill in and stamp. If you then decide to get a pre-payment certificate you can get your money back on the prescriptions you've had where you have the proper NHS receipt. There are some time limits which you'll have to check as I can't quite remember the timescales. You can get your pre-payment certificate back-dated to allow you to claim the money back on these.

I agree the medical exemption criteria need updating, which does seem to be in progress to some extent, although I guess the Govt will not be looking for giving more people free prescriptions at this point in time!

Hope this helps.

Anne x

re pre paid


you can pay for the card monthly which is currently 10.40 it does work out much cheaper in the long run

i also agree with what is being said regards free prescriptions especially with longterm health problems


love caz x