MILLIONS of older Brits will continue to receive free prescriptions as plans to make more people pay have been scrapped.
Ministers had considered upping the qualifying age from 60 to 66 to bring it in line with the state pension age and to claw back cash for the NHS.
But the government has since announced it would freeze the policy because of the cost-of-living crisis.
Health Minister Neil O’Brien said: “This government recognises the pressures with the cost of living caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We have decided to maintain the prescription exemption age where it is.”
The controversial proposal would have affected around 2.4 million people – and triggered warnings that people with long term illnesses risked ending up in hospital.
Under the existing rules, people over 60 avoid paying prescription charges in England, with exemptions also applying to anyone under 16 or teenagers in higher education.