1. No guaranteed discount from card sponsors.

Medicare discount cards are being marketed as providing a 10 to 25 percent discount off the prices of prescription medicines purchased by seniors and individuals with disabilities. There is no requirement in the law, however, that card sponsors must offer any specific discount amount. Card sponsors decide how much of a discount they pass on and how much to keep for profit. Neither the statute nor the regulations allow seniors and people with disabilities to see the actual price the card sponsor negotiated and the percentage of savings the sponsor is passing along to beneficiaries.

2. No guaranteed discount on particular medicines.

There is no guarantee that a particular card will offer discounts on all the medicines seniors or those with disabilities take. Card sponsors can pick and choose which drugs will be discounted. The card sponsor may also change which drugs get discounts. For example, for those with arthritis, Vioxx may be the discounted drug this week, but the next week it could be Celebrex.

3. No guarantee that the discount offered by a particular card will be the lowest price available to a particular individual.

If a senior has other drug coverage, even through another non-Medicare endorsed discount card, he or she may find better discounts available elsewhere. Seniors must comparison shop, not just among the Medicare-endorsed cards, but also among other programs and non-Medicare-endorsed discount cards.

4. No guaranteed access to any particular pharmacy.

Each discount card sponsor will determine which pharmacies will offer the discount advertised with the card. A senior's usual pharmacy may not participate in the card he or she selects.

5. Discounted prices offered by the card sponsor may change weekly. Card sponsors may change the discounted prices on medicines weekly. The discount on a senior's medicine that was advertised when he or she enrolled may change, but that senior will not be allowed to switch to a different card. Seniors are advised to check on the price offered under their card every time a prescription is filled.

6. The final price paid for prescriptions will vary by pharmacy.

Because pharmacies can change the prices they charge, seniors must check with each of their local participating pharmacies to find out which one offers the lowest price on the drugs covered under their card. Seniors should check with their pharmacy each time they go to get a prescription filled.