BristolUK

Doesn't England still have Prescription charges?

I experience Canada's system which at least is comparable to the NHS as far as doctors and hospitals go, but not when it comes to Prescriptions and even things like crutches!

Believe me, no matter what looks like small costs, you don't want to be paying them when they all add up.

There's a safety net in Canada when it comes to prescription drugs. It's not bad in some provinces but patchy in others, requiring you to be literally broke.

But there are all sorts of incidental costs. One of my wife's treatments (it would be free hospital treatment in the UK) is so expensive that even very high earners would qualify. Because of that we get maximum coverage for prescriptions and diabetic supplies. Diabetes would also mean free prescriptions in the UK, apparently.

Our co-payment is $4 a drug. Not much is it. But what if between you and your wife there are about 15? I lose count.

There are two drugs not covered. One is $60 a month and we have that but another is $150 a month. Mrs B has convinced herself it's not worth it but the reality is we can't stretch to it because of all the other costs.

There are a string of side effects that involve her taking 6 different vitamins/supplements and another 2 over the counter meds. No coverage for any of those.

She's a wheelchair user so it's everywhere by taxi. Luckily we're in a small city and nearly everywhere is close. But it still mounts up with different tests at the hospital, two different doctors there, the GP, two other specialists in different places and a diabetic foot check.

No Mobility assistance here and even DLA wouldn't cover those costs.

dunroving

The UK has a system for avoiding the 15 prescriptions x £5 problem you describe - you can buy a fixed-fee prescription certificate (of course, in Scotlland and Wales they are completely free). So, people will extensive prescriptions can buy a (cheaper) certificate that then gives them "free" prescriptions. The same principle could also be applied to other elements of health care (e.g., a monthly or annual ceiling on how much you have to pay).

I tried returning my crutches (which are in immaculate condition) to the NHS, but they wouldn't take them back - no wonder they are broke. In the news yesterday I saw a rioter in Northern Ireland using a crutch to try to batter the police.

Every time someone on telly tries to suggest a solution to the NHS problem, the response is "Well, that won't work" - but the current system isn't working, either! Sensible solutions are ridiculed by comparing them to situations that don't apply - I can see what you are saying about Canada, but it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing solution (so, you don't have to be charged for everything, but maybe charging for some things might help solve the problems).

As far as solutions are concerned, I think the simpler the better. The problem with all of these things is that the administrative costs are ridiculous because the systems are so bloody complicated. Well, at least I suppose it keeps public sector workers in a job.

BristolUK

Yes, I know about the "season ticket" in existence since at least the 70s. An excellent idea.

But it seemed you were suggesting additional prescription charges to those already current, so that would presumably mean a higher cost to the patient. And for some, that might still be a problem when considering all those other "minor" expenses that mount up.

I think it's a thin end of the wedge thing.

dunroving

Sorry, I had my Scotland hat on - was forgetting the Sassenachs have to pay.

That's another thing that annoys me - that so many things are free in Scotland (thanks to the Calman Commission, Scotland gets a higher per capita cut of UK tax revenues so can afford it - maybe).

Completely free higher education is a bad thing, IMO - again, being free opens it to misuse (I don't think all students who apply for university really need to be there - paying something might make them think whether they really need it). These things bug the heck out of me as a taxpayer.

Anyway, I seem to have dragged the thread away from Nun's original topic. oops. Better stop sermonizing!

mikelincs

I believe prescriptions are free for drugs required daily for treatment for things such as DM, arthritis and thyroid diseases., and, of course for children and OAPs

dunroving

and many people on benefits.

mikelincs

and free for everyone in Scotland and Wales.

dunroving

Yep (Post #17). Some of these inconsistencies resulting froom devolution dumbfound me.

dontheturner

Basically, Maggie started this downloading spiral, as we manufacture little or nothing now, and if a country is not producing, (and getting folks working) I agree totally - how the hell can we afford anything? - Think on this - at our local NHS hospital, we have a car park company, patrolling and charging to park your park, BUT they get 90% of the money. NOT the hospital! How crazy is that?

dunroving

You'll need to move to Scotland Don - free NHS hospital parking here.

Maggie Thatcher seems to get blamed for everything here (Scotland) - my next-door neighbour managed to buy his council house for £30k thanks to her (I paid £180k), though it doesn't stop him complaining about her.

Almo

I can't begin to describe how much it drives me insane that there are such pronounced differences between what people pay for in Wales/Scotland vs England. And as I live in a city which straddles the Wales/England border I find it even more preposterous than when I lived in Australia.

On the subject of means testing for benefits that some wealthy pensioners receive, I understand the argument that the cost of implementing the means testing would be very expensive and perhaps wipe out any cost savings but the reason it would be so expensive is that people would have to be employed to do the means testing - a good thing, surely?

BristolUK

There was a pretty good balance back in the 70s/80s.

Supplementary Benefit recognised individual needs for individual people - special diets, extra laundry costs, different clothing needs etc and met them.

It went hand in hand with basic rates of sickness and unemployment benefits that were higher than basic Supp Ben even before earnings related supplements were added.

Consequently the greater number of people had their contributory benefits without the need for Supp Ben and most processing/admin was straightforward, with the more involved assessing just for the few.

Then the government made a series of changes - scrapping ERS, reducing the likelihood of entitlement to UB etc - culminating in 1988 with the introduction of Income Support, by which time loads of people were actually due the means tested benefit rather than contribution version.

And that means tested version no longer reflected individual costs, but instead gave a Premium often based on nothing more than being "off sick" for a period - regardless of whether expenses actually rose and, bizarrely, gave more extra (a bigger premium) to couples even if the other one was perfectly healthy.

In short it didn't pay extra where it would have been justified and it did pay extra where there was no extra need. In the name of simplification.

It all went downhill from there.

Lothianlad

That £144 is related to today's "money" - come April 2017 that figure will have risen by a few quid to accord to the "value of money" at that time.

The new Flat Rate "all in one" State Pension will only apply to those people reaching pension age applicable at that time - it will not apply to the retired people claiming the State Pension at the present time.

BY the time I am eligible to claim my State Pension the official pension age for both men and women will be equalised and probably somewhere around the mid 70s!

Lothianlad

I would imagine that must be Chester! The only place of any note which sits on both side of the England/Wales border - literally - is Hay-on-Wye and that can hardly be called a city...it is split between Herefordshire, England, and Powys, Wales.

The small village of Llanymynech is interesting because the border between England and Wales runs right down the middle of the main street so that all the buildings on one side of the street are in Shropshire, England and all those on the opposite side are in Powys, Wales.

One of the pubs in the village actually sits right on the border itself with the public bar being in Wales and the lounge bar and restaurant actually located in England. Until 1968 one bar was closed on Sundays and the other one open.

dontheturner

What a wonderful lady she was! - You forgot to mention the Negative equity - how many people was it who lost their homes? Only one group of folks came off good from her schemes.
Ask any ex-miner or ex- steel worker - see if they thought she did good.
Should have been hung for destroying our production base, in my opinion.