Federal drug card program elicits little local interest.

The response was similar at a trio of drug stores along Miracle Mile on whether there had been inquiries about the new Medicare drug discount card program.

"No one yet," said a pharmacist in a Walgreen Co. store on Wilshire Boulevard the day the program was launched last week.

"I think one person asked about it this morning but generally people don't really seemed interested," said the pharmacy clerk at a Sav-On across the street.

"A lot of people already have coverage, so it's not really an issue," said a pharmacist at the nearby Rite Aid Corp. store.

Although trumpeted as a means of easing the financial pain of costly prescription drugs for the elderly, the federal Medicare program that took effect last week got off to a slow start in Los Angeles, and health care advocates pointed to any number of reasons why: confusion, indifference and a hodgepodge of other drug discount plans available in California that render much of the new program redundant.

The federal discount program, which was introduced by the Bush administration as a bridge to a new Medicare drug benefit that takes effect in January 2006, is designed to offer participants as much as a 20 percent discount on brand-name drugs and up to 40 percent off on generic prescriptions.

To enroll, consumers must summit an application along with an annual fee of either $19 or $30, depending on the frequency with which they order prescriptions. The plan does not cover weight-related, cosmetic-related or fertility drugs, nor does it cover cough and cold remedies.

Health care advocates and others involved in care for the elderly note that under a California law enacted five years ago, Medicare recipients are already entitled to the same discounts offered to those receiving Medi-Cal, the state-run health care entitlement for infirmed or indigent.

For many drugs, the Medi-Cal prices are cheaper.

"This state has always had senior plans that have been great for people in California," said Clare Smith, executive director of the non-profit organization California Health Advocates.

In addition to duplicating existing programs, the new Medicare Drug discount program was saddled with a number of arcane provisions unlikely to appeal to older people, Smith said.

She pointed out that seniors are obliged to select one of 40 separate discount cards, ideally by matching their individual prescription needs to benefits included in a specific card. They are then prohibited from changing their selection for at least one year.

"They make it pretty difficult," she said. "They have an 800-number but it's pretty difficult to get through. So you have to know how to navigate a Web site."

Even so, others on the front lines of community heath care in California say that any effort to make prescription drugs more affordable is a step in the right direction. They also note that the Medicare program may offer savings not enjoyed by those who rely strictly on the Medi-Cal price structure.

The program was drawing scant participation in its first days, according to reports submitted by members of the 35,000-provider California Medical Association.

"What seniors need is clarity and permanence," said Peter Warren, a spokesman for the CMA. "For someone in their 70s or 80s, more choice is not necessarily a better thing."

Nevertheless, Walgreen, which operates 30 stores in Los Angeles County, sees the program as a way to increase its pharmacy business as it expands in the region.

To encourage participation, the retailer mounted life-sized displays of a pharmacist clad in a lab coat, offering applications for the discount card at the front of its stores.

"There's some confusion but that is to be expected with something this new," said Jared Rhoads, Walgreen's pharmacy supervisor for Southern California. "Lack of compliance is often a function of patients not having insurance or not having the financial means."

At Rite Aid, Say-On and the pharmacy counter at Ralphs, the applications were made available only alter a specific request.

Briz Mena, a manager working at Southgate-based regional drug chain Big A, said she was not promoting the plan because she was convinced it was not likely to save her customers money.