Martin Lewis has issued an urgent warning for anyone that pays NHS prescriptions who may soon be overpaying.
According to data obtained by MoneySavingExpert.com, 1,064,992 people purchased at least 12 single prescriptions in 2021/22. Many of these people would have been able to save money with a prescription prepayment certificate, otherwise known as a prescription "season ticket".
A Freedom of Information request sent by the consumer website to the NHS Business Service Authority saught to find out how many people would have benefitted from the scheme but missed out. Based on the data, it says that patients were overpaying an average of £40 a year.
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Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, said: “England is the only one of the four UK nations that charges for prescriptions, and so it’s frustrating to hear that many people are still paying more than they need to – especially at a time when every penny counts towards bills.
“We need to spread the word to anyone who regularly gets prescriptions, including some with chronic illnesses, to check out prescription prepayment certificates.
“My simple rule of thumb is, if you get more than one prescription a month, on average these ‘season tickets’ are the cheapest option, as they cap what you need to pay. For a one-off payment, you get unlimited prescriptions for either three months or a year.
“So someone getting, say, two prescriptions a month would save over £100 a year. If you think that’s you, check it out now in case we see another price hike at the beginning of spring.”
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