The largest expansion of Medicare benefits began June 1 with the launch of the Medicare prescription drug discount card program. The program was not an instant success. Critics complained that seniors face too many choices and will save little money on their prescriptions. How good are the discounts? How much can seniors save under the new program? Can seniors even find their best Medicare discount card option? What does this experience say about the full drug benefit, which takes over in 2006?

AEI scholar Joseph Antos will present his latest findings on the early performance of the Medicare drug discount card program. A panel of experts will provide their own perspectives on how we can build on the successes of that program, and what we can learn from its failures.