Thomas Daschle: “Last week, when the federal government rolled out a new discount drug program, Mrs. Fruhling-- Mildred Fruhling studied…”

“Last week, when the federal government rolled out a new discount drug program, Mrs. Fruhling-- Mildred Fruhling studied her options with the same thoroughness with which she has been reviewing all of this now for some time. "What she found," according to the article, "was confusion: 73 competing drug discount cards, each providing different savings on different medications, and all subject to change." Quoting Mrs. Fruhling: "I personally feel I can do better on my own," she said. But she added, "At this point, I don't think anyone can make an evaluation." The article goes on to say: Even before they go into effect on June 1, the cards--which are approved by Medicare but offered by various companies and organizations--have been the subject of heated political debate, an AARP advertising campaign about how confusing they are and anxious speculation from those they are supposed to help. Among retirees of different income groups interviewed last week, the initial reaction was incomprehensible. It goes on to quote Mrs. Florence Daniels, a retired engineer who gets less than $1,000 a month from Social Security. She did not use the Government Web site that is currently available to compare drug cards, in part because she cannot afford a computer. She states: I'm trying to absorb all the information, but it's ridiculous. Not just ridiculous, it's scary.…”