By Tim Bonfield
The Cincinnati Enquirer

More than 140,000 Greater Cincinnati residents will soon get letters indicating they may qualify for a free, $600 annual drug credit through the new Medicare drug discount card program.

The drug credit might be strong enough to give low-income seniors a reason to sort through sales pitches that could come from at least 36 companies planning to sell drug cards in this area.

The new drug discount cards are a temporary part of a bigger Medicare reform plan approved last year by Congress. Seniors can begin signing up for the cards Monday. The cards take effect June 1, and the program ends in December 2005.

A government Web site is expected to post contact phone numbers, prices and participating pharmacies beginning today. Medicare officials predict that about 7 million of the 40 million enrollees nationwide will seek the cards.

Consumer groups, including AARP, Consumers Union and Families USA, advise seniors to take the time to check out which card works best for the drugs they take.

Fees range up to $30 a year. Drug prices will vary among the cards. And not every pharmacy will accept every discount card. Some seniors may find they already get better prices from other discount arrangements.

Meanwhile, the card companies can change prices and drugs they cover even though seniors can sign up for only one card and cannot switch cards until next year.

Even so, savings from the Medicare-approved cards could be about 17 percent for brand-name drugs and about 35 percent for generic drugs, according to the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association.

The 140,000-plus letters headed to Tristate seniors are part of a nationwide mailing to more than 19 million low-income Americans by the Social Security Administration, according to an analysis by Gannett News Service. Television commercials also have started to run.

Critics have blasted the card program for confusing seniors while offering minimal benefits. But others say the cards will offer real help.

People who qualify for the $600 credit (annual income less than $12,569 for individuals or $16,862 for couples) also pay no annual fee for the discount card.

"That $600 assistance will make a difference for people who don't have help otherwise," said Frank Bellinetti, state director of AARP's West Virginia office.

After the $600 credit is used up, at least two drug companies - Merck and Novartis - will continue providing their products for free to qualified seniors, said Gary Panek, program manager for the Ohio Department of Aging's Golden Buckeye Card. The department will offer a Medicare-approved card.

But some questioned the wisdom of routing seniors to the Internet to get details about the cards.

Only about 3 percent of older Medicare beneficiaries use the Internet, said Patricia Nemore, an attorney with the Center for Medicare Advocacy in Washington.

That means most seniors will have to get information over the phone or through the mail after they contact Medicare or one of the drug card sponsors.

To check out the details of Medicare-approved drug discount cards, call (800) Medicare, or check the Web site.

Gannett News Service contributed to this article. E-mail tbonfield@enquirer.com