Medicare Posts Prices on Website

WASHINGTON —  The government posted thousands of prices for prescription drugs on its Medicare website Thursday to help seniors pick which of the dozens of new discount cards offered them the most savings.

Even before the prices were listed, Democrats and other critics said the savings were inadequate.

The information available now is incomplete, with prices listed for only 35 of the more than 70 national and regional cards that will be offered, health officials said. Other data will be added in coming weeks.

Discounts so far are at least 15% off the average wholesale prices for brand-name drugs, and 30% or more for generics, said Mark McClellan, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Those numbers, however, may not offer a true picture of the cost cuts. Average wholesale prices often do not reflect retail prices, McClellan acknowledged.

Medicare officials were working to compare the card discounts with retail prices. A first look indicates that the savings are “significant,” he said, adding “There are some real discounts here that are worth looking at.”

But a report from Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles) said the prices were “far higher” than those offered in Canada, and no better than prices available without cards through companies such as Drugstore.com.

Importing medications from Canada is against the law, but Waxman and others are pushing to make it legal.

Each Medicare patient can select only one discount card, and some cards charge enrollment fees of as much as $30. Enrollment begins Monday, and the discounts take effect June 1.

Seniors can view the prices at www.medicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE.