Age UK has launched a new campaign to save free prescriptions for 60-65s, warning it will put older people’s health at risk and pile pressure on the NHS if government plans go ahead.
The ‘Save Free Prescriptions’ campaign is in response to a new consultation that was pushed out by the government last month and closes in just over two weeks’ time. The consultation puts forward proposals to increase the qualifying age for free prescriptions from 60 to the State Pension age, which is currently 66 for both men and women but is on track to rise further.
Age UK says that it is extremely disappointing that a policy that could have such a significant impact on millions of older people is being consulted on over August and that it was published without much fanfare.
The charity believes that the move could affect millions of people reaching 60 in the future unless they qualify for certain benefits or have a medical exemption, as well as those already aged 60-65 if the government decides not to protect them.
Age UK is worried that scrapping free prescription charges for 60-65 year olds is likely to exacerbate existing health inequalities and have a devastating impact on many people’s health, especially if they are hard up but have incomes above the benefits line.
Caroline Abrahams, Age UK’s charity director, said: “This proposed policy is a kick in the teeth, both for poorly older people and the NHS. It is also extremely ill-judged, because the money the government will save by scrapping free prescriptions for 60-65 years olds will almost certainly be outweighed by the additional costs to the NHS, if people fail to take their medication because they can’t afford it and become ill.
“We are already hearing some older people on multiple medicines saying they will have to choose which ones to drop, and others are expecting to ration how much they take. The problem is that treatments don’t work like that: if the prescribed dosage says one tablet every day it may not work at all if you only take it every two or three days.
“This policy proposal seems all the more unfair because prescriptions are free for everyone in Scotland and Wales. There’s a strong public health case for heading in that direction here in England too. Instead, our government wants to do the opposite: make many more people pay for their medicines, and at an age when it’s all the more important they take them, to control conditions that left untreated can lead to really serious medical problems, piling more pressure onto the NHS. If ever there was a self-defeating policy this is it, and we know that many medical experts agree with us.”
