Did you know that prescriptions are now a form of stealth tax?

The reason is that many drugs now prescribed for chronic diseases, such as hypertension, asthma and chronic pain, are now cheaper to buy than if you were to have to pay for these on prescription. A good example is blood pressure where the drugs Atenolol or Bendrofluazide are used to treat the condition. Both these drugs could be bought for £5.00 and the amount of tablets obtained would last you three months. Most drugs that are prescribed on the NHS are given in one to two monthly issues and you pay £6.50 each time, thereby giving the Government extra profit. Why can’t these drugs be offered privately? Well they can, but you need to ask if the drug you are being prescribed is cheaper to have privately. Remember the Government have not advertised this stealth tax, as it would affect their revenue from you as taxpayers.

Next time you need a new prescription, ask if it is cheaper to have on a private prescription. Do you really want to keep adding to your already increasing tax burden?

Other irregularities exist in that patients with an under-active thyroid or diabetes, both chronic diseases, are allowed free prescriptions for every single drug that they are prescribed.  Patients with an underactive thyroid could actually buy a years treatment for less than £10-00 yet still get all prescriptions written for them free even paracetamol for their headaces!! Other patients with chronic diseases, such as asthma or blood pressure, are not allowed free prescriptions. I believe that a fairer system would be to make everyone pay for his or her prescription. Those on more than two drugs could offset this by buying a four month or yearly season ticket: currently where the price is £33.40 for four months and £91.80 annually, which would allow them to have as many drugs as needed for their condition for a nominal price. This would stop many patients complaining that they are being discriminated against because they do not have the right chronic disease. It might even stop grossly overweight diabetic patients lose weight so that they would not only not require medication for their condition but also stop relying on drugs to keep their diabetes causing long term problems without having to make lifestyle changes. Otherwise you could say we are feeding their habit.

Maybe you should lobby your MP to try and change matters!

PS. Click on drug purchases to see how cheap this practice can provide you with your medication