At present, Social Security subsidises GP appointments by £20 and also pays for the majority of Islanders’ prescriptions through the Health Insurance Fund.
The fund is financed through Islanders’ social security contributions, with about £30 million being spent from the pot each year.
However, as healthcare is expected to change in the future, with more Islanders being treated in the community, questions are now being asked about how services will be paid for.
Social Security Minister Susie Pinel told the Health and Social Services Scrutiny Panel at a recent quarterly hearing that part of the review into the primary health care strategy was looking into the reintroduction of prescription charges.
If the charges were re-established it would reverse a 2008 States decision to have free prescriptions for all.
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