What Would You Think About A Universal Prescription Charge?

A poll conducted by Chemist and Druggist (chemistanddruggist.co.uk) has revealed that four fifths of pharmacists would welcome prescription payment exemptions being replaced by a universal charge.
However, concerns have been raised by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) that a flat rate charge for everybody would disadvantage those who need the most medicines, as well as those on lower incomes. It is also a concern that this charge would rise quickly along with inflation, as the current prescription charge does.
Some pharmacists think that replacing prescription payment exemptions with a small charge, perhaps £3 per item, would encourage patients to be more responsible with the amount of medicines they think they require, and would potentially reduce the huge amount of medicine waste which is currently disposed of every year in the UK(see Flame Health's previous blog post).
What do you think about this? Would a universal charge for prescriptions be fair?
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