I feel that Prescriptions sould be free for all people with asthma !
i have a Prescription prepayment certificate still 12 month certificate is £104.00 i have this now as it works out cheaper in the long run !
so you can get free pills or comdons off nhs but not meds that safe lifes !!!
i think this is crazy or is it just me !!
mat
It is crazy! It scares me to think that as soon as I pass 18 it's unlikely I'm going to be in a full time job, how am I mean to pay about £30 a month.
It is crazy! It scares me to think that as soon as I pass 18 it's unlikely I'm going to be in a full time job, how am I mean to pay about £30 a month.
Fortunately, you won't have to pay that amount. A pre-payment certificate for 12 months can be paid for by direct debit as ten instalments of £10.40 - which is only about £2.60 a week (and in the final two months of the year, you won't have to pay anything).
My view on this remains constant - either all prescriptions should be free in England (which is never going to happen, I'm afraid) or none of them should be across the whole UK.
You're not alone in thinking that way. Clearly we'd cost the government too much money if having asthma meant we'd qualify for free prescriptions.
personally I dont have a problem with paying for prescriptions. BUT I dont think it should be one rule for one long term condition and one rule for another (i.e. people with diabetes dont pay). A prepayment certificate is around £11 a month, so nobody needs to pay more than that! - I get 14 different drugs each month and consider that very good value. Money doesnt grow on trees and drugs cost money, the NHS isnt a bottomless pit of it...
Interestingly most people I know with long term conditions who get free prescriptions think it is stupid and would be happy to pay for a prepayment certificate too...
I am a nurse, and am well aware of the true cost of many drugs, which a lot of folk simply just dont seem to realise. A prescription charge in no way covers the cost of inhalers and many other meds, it is a small contribution.
This is an argument that goes round and round and I don't think my views will ever change on this. But thought I would link what I think is the most recent discussion regarding charges (or try to!!)
asthma.org.uk/forum/?g=post...
The only thing I would add to my comments in the discussion in May is that I do believe that some of the items we receive cost many, many times the charge of a prescription and with prepayment being so cheap (it may be £10 odd a month but you also only pay for 10 months is barely more than the cost of one item.
As NickyNoo says, this has been raised many times here.
The list of conditions that qualify was set in the 1960s and is rather archaic. As well as asthma, conditions like cystic fibrosis, IBD - ulcerative colitis and Crohns, cardiac etc are not included. The Prescription Charges Campaign brings together something like 24 charities to campaign. This inequality is somewhat bizarre.
However, please all bear in mind that with the prepayment certificate or help with healthcare costs (details available here NHS Choices: About health costs), we are quite lucky in this country. Many others pay the full cost of medications, A&E, GP and even other hospital visits. Having said that. there certainly could be a better balance in the current system.
ive just paid for pre-paid certificate as i was paying alot a month for steroids, inhalers and antibiotics 
I'm very glad that I don't have to pay the full cost of meds. My preventer inhaler lasts me 15 days and costs the NHS £40 and one of my tablets costs nearly £28 for 28 days. My other meds are cheaper, but if I had to pay full price for my meds then I'd either be bankrupt or very ill, and I can go to my GP whenever I need to rather than when I can afford it, so all in all I'm very greatful to have the NHS and don't have a problem with paying for prescriptions as it's only a small contribution to the services/meds that I receive. The system is a bit odd, with free precriptions for certain meds or patient groups. I wonder if England will eventually follow Wales and Scotland and make all prescriptions free.
I buy a pre payment prescription card at 104 per year by choice becuase I feel I should contribute to my medical costs.
Plumie
While studying abroad a few yeard ago I ran out of one of my inhalers, it cost £64 for me to buy it!
I definitely do not mind paying for a prepayment certificate and believe we are lucky in comparison to other countries.
prescription charges
Prescription Charge Exemption and Students
Prescription charges for people with Asthma 
