A change to NHS rules could see MILLIONS being charged for previously free prescriptions

A change to the NHS rule could see millions of Britons charged for prescriptions they currently get for free.

The government is investigating whether the minimum age for some exemptions from medical costs should be increased.

People over 60 could be asked to start paying for their prescriptionsCredit: Alamy

Prescriptions for most adults in the UK are £9.35 per item, but exceptions are automatically granted for those deemed to need assistance.

Currently, this also includes people over the age of 60, who will be entitled to free prescription medications.

But there are plans to raise the age limit to 66, which would force millions of people over 60 to get much-needed antibiotics, disease treatments and other medicines.

The proposed change is expected to affect around 2.4 million people, who would lose an extra £100 a year.

There is no indication yet when the changes could be implemented, but Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Sarah Coles predicts they are likely to be introduced in early April.

The price of prescriptions has already risen by 26.4 per cent in the past decade – an increase of £1.95 each, a report by Chemist4U found it.

Scotland and Wales currently allow free prescriptions for everyone, and Age UK director Caroline Abrahams says the same should be the case for England.

The campaigner believes the same rule should be applied across the UK.

She called the idea of abolishing financing for people over 60 until the age of 66 “a bitter pill for millions of people.”

Abrahams said The Express: “We want the government to realize that this will hit people on lower incomes the hardest.”

The Royal College of GPs and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society also oppose the changes.

Another option reportedly favored by the government is to raise the minimum age to 66, but introduce the changes gradually.