The Lemon Fool

A lengthy but interesting piece on why free prescriptions save the NHS money - https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/arti ... and-wealth

As for prepayment certificates, I buy one but because it saves me money, but really they are the ill-thought out creation of civil servants who do not consider the needs of those the should be aimed at.

£108 is almost irrelevant to me, but it is an awful lot to a family on a low income but not benefitting from free prescriptions. Do they gamble when they need their first prescription of the year that it will pay off even if they can find that money (or the money for the more expensive quarterly certificate)?

Yes you can theoretically backdate the certificate to cover prescriptions already issued, but only if you get a specific receipt which is not automatically given and is never mentioned by the pharmacist.

Even if you don’t give free prescriptions in England, at least the system ought to automatically cap the cost of individual prescriptions at what the prepayment certificates cost, so once you go past X number you are no longer charged.

Spet0789 wrote:

Lootman wrote:

Spet0789 wrote: Not clear to me why Alan Sugar and Richard Branson get free prescriptions.

Because it is not worth performing means testing for items of small value.

Same reason I get a £200 winter fuel allowance and a £10 pensioner Christmas bonus. It is too much faff and expense for the government; easier to just give them to everyone. And whilst I do not need the money, I like to think that everyone should derive some state benefit, just like everyone should help pay for them.

No need to means test. If you don’t get the low income pension top up (whatever it is called), you don’t need these freebies either.

Not so simple I'm afraid. For instance the winter fuel allowance is paid from age 60, whereas the state pension is not paid until at least age 66.

For all the information we provide to the government, it does not have an accurate way of determining what your net worth is. It knows how much you earn but not how much you have, unless you are means tested for something which, at least in my case, I am fairly sure that I never have been. Or of course when you die.

PS: I think you were referring to Pension Credit there.

It's the first time anyone has accused me of socialist dogma. I must tell my left wing friends, they will be amused.

I didn't suggest that we had a achieved the apotheosis of healthcare in NHS Scotland. I just believe that few people would argue with striving for equal access to health care. The NHS isn't perfect by any means and I did suggest areas for improvement towards that goal.

Access to medicines in Scotland (and by a different body but in a similar way in England) is done based on Qualified Life Years and requires medicines to be licenced rather than selecting on subjective views and prejudices. I am glad this is done by trained professionals rather than by elected officials. You can read about the SMC and it's work here https://www.scottishmedicines.org.uk/. I have forgotten the name of the English equivalent. Personally I don't like the way the unbiased system has been tinkered with for rare conditions and expensive drugs as this directs resources to less efficient uses which costs patients and the aggregate total but overall the system is good.

If I have misunderstood your question then please tell me who you were thinking of and which process concerns you.

Lootman wrote:Not so simple I'm afraid. For instance the winter fuel allowance is paid from age 60, whereas the state pension is not paid until at least age 66.

You had me going for a bit there, I thought I'd missed out. But you're wrong, currently you need to be born on or before 26 September 1955 to be eligible, so 66ish+.

https://www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/eligibility

Scott.

swill453 wrote:

Lootman wrote:Not so simple I'm afraid. For instance the winter fuel allowance is paid from age 60, whereas the state pension is not paid until at least age 66.

You had me going for a bit there, I thought I'd missed out. But you're wrong, currently you need to be born on or before 26 September 1955 to be eligible, so 66ish+.

https://www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/eligibility

Then that is a recent change because I started getting it at age 60. It is not dependent on, or related to, getting the state pension as I deferred that.

Anyway I do not envisage means testing for small benefits like this, which was the point being discussed.

swill453 wrote:

Lootman wrote:Not so simple I'm afraid. For instance the winter fuel allowance is paid from age 60, whereas the state pension is not paid until at least age 66.

You had me going for a bit there, I thought I'd missed out. But you're wrong, currently you need to be born on or before 26 September 1955 to be eligible, so 66ish+.

https://www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/eligibility

Scott.

What????!!! Do we have to claim it or something then?

I neatly scrape inside this threshold but for the last 6 years I've not been paid my winter fuel allowance. How much is it? I'm SOOO hard done by....

Mike4 wrote:

What????!!! Do we have to claim it or something then?

I neatly scrape inside this threshold but for the last 6 years I've not been paid my winter fuel allowance. How much is it? I'm SOOO hard done by....

This is the date for winter 21-22 - the date changes every year. For example for 2015 -2016 it was 5 January 1953.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mill ... l-payments

I assume it is tied to state pension age, but that for women, as they used to get it at a younger age, hence Lootman qualifying from age 60, which used to be the SPA for women.

Lootman wrote:

swill453 wrote:

Lootman wrote:Not so simple I'm afraid. For instance the winter fuel allowance is paid from age 60, whereas the state pension is not paid until at least age 66.

You had me going for a bit there, I thought I'd missed out. But you're wrong, currently you need to be born on or before 26 September 1955 to be eligible, so 66ish+.

https://www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/eligibility

Then that is a recent change because I started getting it at age 60. It is not dependent on, or related to, getting the state pension as I deferred that.

Looks like the eligibility age might be aligned with the female state pension age, which has relatively recently gone from age 60 to 66.

Scott.

swill453 wrote:Looks like the eligibility age might be aligned with the female state pension age, which has relatively recently gone from age 60 to 66.

Scott.

I'm experiencing a fast show moment.

Gersemi wrote:

swill453 wrote:Looks like the eligibility age might be aligned with the female state pension age, which has relatively recently gone from age 60 to 66.

Scott.

I'm experiencing a fast show moment.

Suits you, sir?

AWOL wrote:

Gersemi wrote:

swill453 wrote:Looks like the eligibility age might be aligned with the female state pension age, which has relatively recently gone from age 60 to 66.

Scott.

I'm experiencing a fast show moment.

Suits you, sir?

No the one where a woman says something and is ignored

Gersemi wrote:

Mike4 wrote:

What????!!! Do we have to claim it or something then?

I neatly scrape inside this threshold but for the last 6 years I've not been paid my winter fuel allowance. How much is it? I'm SOOO hard done by....

This is the date for winter 21-22 - the date changes every year. For example for 2015 -2016 it was 5 January 1953.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mill ... l-payments

I assume it is tied to state pension age, but that for women, as they used to get it at a younger age, hence Lootman qualifying from age 60, which used to be the SPA for women.

Gersemi wrote:No the one where a woman says something and is ignored

Ah, I did wonder what you meant. Looks like there were two parallel conversations going on, me/Lootman and you/Mike4. Sorry for not noticing the other one.

Scott.

Gersemi wrote:No the one where a woman says something and is ignored

I don't remember a woman saying something

I've bucked the trend

Been on the prescription pre pay certificate from mid 20s

Now at 45, I have just been able to....not renew it!! It's exciting!

I'll see how long it lasts! (My unexpected okay health I mean).

Sunnypad wrote:I've bucked the trend

Been on the prescription pre pay certificate from mid 20s

Now at 45, I have just been able to....not renew it!! It's exciting!

I'll see how long it lasts! (My unexpected okay health I mean).

Congratulations. Long may it last.

ReallyVeryFoolish wrote:Absolutely outrageous. The English tax payer foots the bill for all Scottish and Welsh prescriptions already.

RVF

No, they don't. Health is a devolved matter. They're paid for out of the devolved nations budgets. The whole point of devolution was local democracy, the scots and welsh have decided that spending their budget on providing free prescriptions and higher education is a higher priority than roads or policing. Thats their decision to make.

vagrantbrain wrote:

ReallyVeryFoolish wrote:Absolutely outrageous. The English tax payer foots the bill for all Scottish and Welsh prescriptions already.

RVF

No, they don't. Health is a devolved matter. They're paid for out of the devolved nations budgets. The whole point of devolution was local democracy, the scots and welsh have decided that spending their budget on providing free prescriptions and higher education is a higher priority than roads or policing. Thats their decision to make.

Although it helps Scottish and Welsh politicians in their decision making that the devolved nations funding formula gives them more money in their budget to splash around on things like this.

Gersemi wrote:

Mike4 wrote:What????!!! Do we have to claim it or something then?

I neatly scrape inside this threshold but for the last 6 years I've not been paid my winter fuel allowance. How much is it? I'm SOOO hard done by....

This is the date for winter 21-22 - the date changes every year. For example for 2015 -2016 it was 5 January 1953.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mill ... l-payments

I assume it is tied to state pension age, but that for women, as they used to get it at a younger age, hence Lootman qualifying from age 60, which used to be the SPA for women.

You have NO idea how confused I am at this point...

Is Lootman a women?

The WFP (it was £250) used to start at 60 for a man (possibly the same age for women, or SRA - 5, but don't know) when the SRA for a man was 65. It is currently £200 and, from above, is now tied to current SRA.

I don't recollect having to apply for it, the DWP presumably having a record of my age.

https://www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment

"You will get your Winter Fuel Payment automatically (you do not need to claim) if you’re eligible and either:

get the State Pension
get another social security benefit (not Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Child Benefit or Universal Credit)
If you do not get either of these, or if you live abroad, you may need to make a claim."

XFool wrote:

Gersemi wrote:

Mike4 wrote:What????!!! Do we have to claim it or something then?

I neatly scrape inside this threshold but for the last 6 years I've not been paid my winter fuel allowance. How much is it? I'm SOOO hard done by....

This is the date for winter 21-22 - the date changes every year. For example for 2015 -2016 it was 5 January 1953.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mill ... l-payments

I assume it is tied to state pension age, but that for women, as they used to get it at a younger age, hence Lootman qualifying from age 60, which used to be the SPA for women.

You have NO idea how confused I am at this point...

Is Lootman a women?

The WFP (it was £250) used to start at 60 for a man (possibly the same age for women, or SRA - 5, but don't know) when the SRA for a man was 65. It is currently £200 and, from above, is now tied to current SRA. I don't recollect having to apply for it, the DWP presumably having a record of my age.

I think the Winter Fuel Allowance started at the same age for men and women, but that age was the State Pension Age for women, which if you recall used to be 60 (and 65 for men). The age for women gradually increased until it was 65 and is now increasing for both sexes.

XFool wrote:I don't recollect having to apply for it, the DWP presumably having a record of my age.

As I recall when I passed age 60 a letter arrived from DWP inviting me to claim it. Clearly DWP already knew enough about me to know that I qualified for it and they just needed a "Yes, please" reply for it to start. So it is was not an onerous process to apply and one might easily forget about it.

Had it been means tested then of course there is no way one would not recall it in all its ponderousness.