Help With Health Costs
Help with Health Costs is a service provided by the NHSBSA which issues exemption certificates to those entitled, and sells Prescription Pre-payment Certificates (PPCs). The service is intended to assist those on low incomes who may be able to pay for their essential NHS charges.
The services offered by Help with Health Costs includes:
- The NHS Low Income Scheme, which assesses a family's income and outgoings to see if they can afford to pay NHS charges. Outcomes include HC2 certificates (for full help) and HC3 certificates (for partial help). Applications can be made using form HC1, which can be ordered from http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/HealthCosts/1128.aspx . General enquiries about the scheme can be directed to 0845 850 1166.
- Prescription Pre-payment Certificates (or PPCs), which aim to lower the expense of NHS prescriptions by charging a pre-paid set fee as opposed to paying for each prescription item individually. PPCs can be ordered on 0845 850 0030, or online at http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/ppc.
- Tax Credit Exemption Certificates, which are provided on behalf of Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to those in receipt of Tax Credits within certain thresholds. Enquiries regarding the Tax Credit Exemption Certificates can be directed to 0845 609 9299.
- Medical Exemption Certificates, which are provided to people with a medical condition that exempts them from paying prescription charges. Medical Exemption enquiries can be directed to 0845 601 8076.
- Maternity Exemption Certificates, which are provided to people who are pregnant (or who have had a baby in the last 12 months) to enable them to have free prescriptions and NHS Dental treatment. Maternity Exemption enquiries can be directed to 0845 601 8076.
Read more about this topic: NHS Business Services Authority
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