A new report by Democrats in the U.S. House finds that the Web Site intended to help seniors select Medicare-approved "drug discount cards" contains "widespread" incorrect information about which pharmacies participate with which cards. 

Two surveys of local, independently owned pharmacies found that the Medicare.gov Web Site "is inaccurate and riddled with errors," said a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson from Democratic Reps. Henry Waxman of California and Louise Slaughter of New York. 

In some cases, the survey found, pharmacies were listed as participating with certain cards when they in fact do not. In other cases, pharmacies listed as participating are closed. 

One Rexall drug store in Langdon, North Dakota, listed on the Web Site as participating with six different cards "has been closed for at least three years," the members wrote. For one of the cards, the closed facility was the only one within 25 miles. 

HHS spokesman Bill Pierce said the continuing attacks on the cards by Democrats are politically motivated and designed to lead to the failure of the drug card program, which has gotten off to a slow start. 

"All they want to do is make political smokescreens, not solve real problems," he said. 

However, Pierce acknowledged that errors "do arise from time to time and as they arise we deal with them."