Help with health costs
Key information
If you are on a low income, on certain benefits, or fit
other criteria, you, your partner and children might get help with
National Health Service (NHS) costs including prescriptions, sight
tests and dental care.
Applies to: England, Wales and Scotland
Age Rules: There are no age rules
Administered by: National Health Service
You can read through this information sheet, or go directly to
the sections you want to read by clicking on these links:
Who does it help?
You will qualify for full help with health costs if you
get:
If you are getting Working Tax Credit
and/or Child Tax Credit, you may
get help.
Some people may qualify for help whatever their
income.
For example, you can get free prescriptions if you:
- are over 60
- are having treatment for cancer
- live in Wales
- live in Scotland
You can also get free prescriptions and dental treatment if
you:
- are pregnant
- have had a baby in the last twelve months and have a valid
exemption certificate (you will qualify even if you had a
miscarriage after the 24th week of pregnancy, or your baby was
stillborn)
If you have difficulty in meeting your health costs but you do
not qualify for full help through entitlement to one of the
benefits listed above, or free prescriptions, you may be able to
get help under the NHS low income scheme.
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Is it means-tested?
For the NHS low income scheme, the amount of help you get
depends on the amount of income you have and you might not get any
help at all if you have more than £16,000 in savings.
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What help does it provide?
If you qualify for full help, you, your partner and your
children get:
- free prescriptions
- free dental treatment and check-ups
- free sight tests
- vouchers for glasses or contact lenses (optical vouchers)
- travel costs to hospital for treatment.
If you do not qualify for free treatment but
need help under the low income scheme, you can apply for a
certificate. There are two types of certificate:
- a full help certificate (HC2)
- a limited help certificate (HC3) which does not qualify you for
free prescriptions.
If you need frequent prescriptions but do not qualify to get any
help with the cost, you can buy a prepayment certificate which will
save you money.
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How much does it pay?
You do not actually get any money. The healthcare professional
is paid directly for the care they give you.
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Help with health costs
How do I make a claim?
- If you qualify for free prescriptions, claim help by filling in
the back of your prescription form
- If you qualify for free dental care, sign the form they give
you when you go for treatment
- If you qualify for free sight tests, when you go for a sight
test, tell the optician if you are entitled to a free NHS sight
test and ask for Form GOS1 to apply for it
- If you qualify for travel to hospital for treatment, when you
go to hospital, tell them that you want to claim back the cost of
your journey.
Maternity exemption certificate
Apply on form FW8 (HC11A in Northern Ireland) which you can get
from doctors, midwives and health visitors. You must fill in parts
1 and 2 of the form and then ask your doctor, midwife or health
visitor to confirm that the information you have given is correct.
They then send the form off to the NHS and you should receive the
certificate within 21 days.
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Low income scheme
To apply for either a full help certificate or
a limited help certificate through the low income sheme, fill in
form HC1, which is available from local benefit offices, NHS
hospitals, dentists, opticians and pharmacists. Or you can get
Form HC1 online
(link opens in a new window) . If you need help making
your claim, call their Customer Contact Team on: 0845 850
1166. They can fill the form in for you if you wish, and send
it to you just to sign and return.
Prepayment certificates for prescriptions
In Wales and Scotland prescriptions are
free. In England, there are a number of ways to buy a
prepayment certificate:
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What documents will I need?
In most cases, you will need a national insurance number. You
will usually need to show evidence of:
- Your identity, and
- Your income and savings or evidence that you are claiming
certain benefits.
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Further help
NHS Direct has a helpline that you can phone if you are
concerned about a health problem or if you need details of local
doctors, pharmacists, dentists and support groups. They can also
give more information about health costs. In England and
Wales, call them on: 0845 46 47. In Scotland, call them
on: 08454 24 24 24.
There is a
NHS leaflet about healthcare costs (link opens in a new
window) . You can pick up a copy at your doctor's surgery,
at the hospital, from the dentist or the optician, or, in Northern
Ireland, from the website of the Department
of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (link opens in a new
window)
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This information has been produced by Citizens
Advice.
Last updated: 18 November 2011
Turn2us - to access benefits & grants.
