The Prescription Charges Coalition is a group of 30 organisations campaigning to end unfair prescription charges for people with
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"I could not afford the prescribed medication for anxiety so thought I'd try and go without, ended up having panic attacks and losing my job." ‘I have to put my family first before
I can afford my 3 lots of medication a month. I have 3 young children to feed.’ ‘Last year, I nearly died after a severe asthma attack and I'm worried it will happen all over again as I just can't afford to renew my Prepayment Certificate at the moment.' ‘Rheumatoid arthritis is for life. A chronic disease with no cure. The quality of my life is dependent on a cocktail of 10 different drugs. With them, I can almost live a normal life, without them, I would be a burden on society needing constant long term care, at a huge cost to the state.' 35% of those who paid for each prescription item had not collected their medicine because of the cost. Three quarters of this group said their health got worse as a result. 10% reported that they had been admitted to hospital as a direct consequence of not taking their medicine as prescribed. Paying the Price research Research by Rethink Mental Illness showed that 38% of people with severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia have had to choose between paying household bills and paying prescription charges. Research for Citizens Advice found that, in 2007, 800,000 people in England failed to collect a prescription item because of the cost involved. |
