May 3: –– HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced that seniors and people with disabilities who receive Medicare can now begin to compare and choose the Medicare-approved drug discount card that best fits their needs in providing savings on their prescription medicines.

The new cards are expected to offer Medicare beneficiaries discounts on their prescription drugs of between 10 and 25 percent. Low-income beneficiaries may also receive a credit of up to $600 each year in 2004 and 2005 to help pay for their prescriptions. Beginning this day, private organizations can begin marketing their Medicare-approved discount cards to people with Medicare.