Plans to end free NHS prescriptions for 60-65 year-olds in England have reportedly been scrapped by the Government following backlash.
The plan was first proposed in 2021 by Boris Johnson’s government to lift the qualifying age for free prescriptions from 60 to 66 to bring it into line with the state pension age.
Fears were sparked last week that the Department of Health would push ahead with the proposal after Health Minister Neil O’Brien told MPs large numbers of over-60s were now economically active or receiving a private pension “and therefore more able to meet the cost of their prescriptions”.
Mr O’Brien stressed that no decision had been made yet, but said the Government was “trying to balance the cost of living pressures with the need for increasing funding for the NHS”.
A wave of anger from charities and older people who warned that older people with long-term conditions such as arthritis, Parkinson’s and bowel disease would be hit hard by the charges, has forced the government to abandon the proposal, inews reported.
A source in the Department for Health and Social Care told inews : “We are not going ahead with this idea.”
In the next few weeks, the Department is expected to reassure all over-60s that they will continue to get free NHS prescriptions in England, the news site added.
Over-60s have not been charged for prescriptions since 1995, when John Major changed the rules to allow men to share the same eligibility as women who were qualifying for a pension at 60.
However, the state retirement age is now 66 for both sexes, and Mr Johnson planned to save £6bn by aligning the system for pensions and prescriptions.
An e-petition opposing the idea attracted 45,000 signatures, while there were 117,000 responses to the public consultation that started in 2021.
Campaigners have argued that the proposal would amount to a “medicines tax”, and would lead older poorer people to stop buying medicine, causing higher costs to the NHS for treatment over time.
Conservative backbenchers have also feared that the proposal might lead to the loss of their so-called “grey vote”.
NHS prescriptions are free for all ages in Scotland and Wales, but charges apply in England. However, after a freeze this year, the charge is set to go up from April to £9.65 from £9.35 for each medicine or appliance dispensed.
The DHSC’s “impact assessment” of the proposal stated: “Those on low incomes who don’t qualify for an exemption based on the receipt of income-related benefits or due to a medical condition may struggle to pay the full cost of prescriptions and therefore may miss or reduce some of their medicine dose, leading to adverse health effects.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The upper age exemption for prescriptions remains at 60 years old.
“We have taken steps to help people with the cost of NHS prescriptions. Almost 89 per cent of prescription items in England are already provided free of charge and pre-payment certificates can be used to cap costs at just over £2 a week for regular prescriptions.
“The consultation has concluded and its conclusions will be published in due course.”
