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Free prescriptions for students at uni

Could anyone tell the rules for getting free prescriptions and dental treatment? Someone has mentioned a HC1 form to me. Is it means tested and where do I get it from?

Reply 1

tinkerbellejess

13

We can get them from pharmacies, which reminds me, I really need to get one!

Reply 2

belis

17

It is means tested. You need to disclose all your income on the form (including student loans, savings, parental contributions etc). I don't know the thrashold though. Your GP or local pharmacy can provide you with the form.

Reply 3

Random.Girl

14

Or if you go to uni in Wales prescriptions are free to everyone under 25 :p:

Reply 4

m.a.y.a

i just filled mine in today

pick one up from a pharmay or type on google you might be able to download one.

Reply 5

OC_girl

-Emmz-

Or if you go to uni in Wales prescriptions are free to everyone under 25 :p:

is that true???

Reply 6

OC_girl

oh regarding the prescription HC1 form, it's a real sod to fill in, really comprehensive and more or less as soon as you've received your certificate of exemption (it takes ages for them to process the form) it expires within a few months so another one needs filling in!!

But it applies to dental costs and i think opticians too.

Reply 7

Random.Girl

14

OC_girl

is that true???

Why would I say if it wasn't? The prescription charge is also cheaper in Wales for people that do have to pay (it's either 3 or 4 pounds compared to £6.65 in England) ... but they're hoping to abolish it completely for everyone.

Reply 8

OC_girl

-Emmz-

Why would I say if it wasn't? The prescription charge is also cheaper in Wales for people that do have to pay (it's either 3 or 4 pounds compared to £6.65 in England) ... but they're hoping to abolish it completely for everyone.

I wasn't meaning to imply you were lying, i was just meaning.. wow.

Reply 9

pixiepeep

13

I'm confused about the form - is it your home address you put down in the first section? The people you live with section? I'm renting a house with some mates, but I still have to put my mom down as my home address for my student loan.

I've had this form sitting here for ages and I can't make head nor tail of it.

Reply 10

Snicole

It is a NIGHTMARE. I filled out the form after an optician told me I needed one(I thought I didn't need one until I turned 19 in November) I sent it off on last week and I reckon they got it on Monday 11th September. Turns out it takes 15 working days to be processed!

Problem is by them I'm at university. My mum has kindly promised to send it to me if I find it difficult to get back home during term time but it is still frustrating. Nobody gives you efficient information

Reply 11

tinkerbellejess

13

Went to the pharmacy yesterday, and they just said "we don't give them out, you have to get it from your university"

Whe my bf got one from the exact same pharmacy as that one just a few months before! grrrrrrrr

Reply 12

Kerris007

7

I thought prescriptions and eye tests etc were free if you're in full time education, up to your 19th birthday????? And I'm not 19 until May, so do I still need one?????

Thanks :biggrin:

Reply 13

Alexander

12

Kerris007

I thought prescriptions and eye tests etc were free if you're in full time education, up to your 19th birthday????? And I'm not 19 until May, so do I still need one?????

Thanks :biggrin:

You won't need one until you're 19. One question mark is sufficient, by the way.

It's possible to request the form here: http://www.ppa.org.uk/ppa/HC1_form.htm

I'm very suspicious about the government making students fill in the HC1 form in order to get free prescriptions, as virtually all full-time students are in fact eligible. I think they deliberately make it a fag to get exemption so that most students don't bother and just pay the occasional £6.50.

Reply 14

emmathe37th

It's absolutely ridiculous. They work out how much money you get a week which is pretty much your student loan. Then they work out how much you need to pay per week BUT they only take into account your rent...not any money you need to actually live on. PLUS, if say your accommodation is £80 for 40 weeks of the year, they spread it out over 52 weeks and say you're only having to pay rent at £60 a week!

And if your money coming in (student loan) per week is less than your money going out (rent) then you get free prescriptions, which is VERY unlikely. If it's the other way around then you get 'partial help' which is crap anyway because you have to pay for all your prescriptions in full. The maximum you have to pay towards dental treatment in any one week is about £75 and then they pay the rest but COME ON, who pays that much for their dental treatment? And I don't know anything about sight tests and glasses and stuff but I know you don't get much off them.

Humph.

Reply 15

Random.Girl

14

Alexander

and just pay the occasional £6.50.

£6.65

Reply 16

RetiredAccount89

18

-Emmz-

Why would I say if it wasn't? The prescription charge is also cheaper in Wales for people that do have to pay (it's either 3 or 4 pounds compared to £6.65 in England) ... but they're hoping to abolish it completely for everyone.

its disgusting. I wouldn't mind if they paid for it out of their own taxes, but lets face it, the english are subsidising it.
Yeh, HC1 is a bugger to fill out, i think it usually runs may to may. but like someone said, it covers dentistry.
You can also get other forms HC5 i think that will allow you to recoup costs once you get your hc01. again its a bugger to fill out, and needs to be done within 2 months i think of the event (i.e. the dentists visit)

Reply 17

Random.Girl

14

Robot Chicken

its disgusting. I wouldn't mind if they paid for it out of their own taxes, but lets face it, the english are subsidising it.

As far as I was aware that's just how the Welsh Assembly are choosing to spend their allocated money in that area?

To be fair, the majority of people that need prescriptions regularly don't pay for them anyway. A major exception to this is asthmatics ... I think they get a bit of a raw deal ... I think that if someone has asthma that needs steroid inhalers (plus the other medication that follows them) then they should be able to get medical exemption certificates.

Reply 18

emmathe37th

Robot Chicken

i think it usually runs may to may.

Mine is july 06 to july 07.

Reply 19

RetiredAccount89

18

-Emmz-

To be fair, the majority of people that need prescriptions regularly don't pay for them anyway.

I can tell you categorically you are wrong here. THere are many different types of chronic disease sufferers who get very little in way of help, and those that do often have to fill out dozens of forms.

Free prescriptions for students at uni

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