Hightower Lowdown

Drug companies rip off U.S. consumers by charging two or three times what they sell medicines for elsewhere. Last year, to quell public outrage over this gouging, Bush and his Congress rammed into law the "Medicare drug-discount program" for senior citizens. The program, which starts in June, actually subsidizes the drug giants with some $139 billion of our tax money.

Then there's are the new drug-discount cards that are part of the system. Pharmacy chains, drug companies, insurance peddlers, on-line firms, and others will try to lure you into taking their card-- all offering different deals.

A card company can hook you by offering low prices on the medicines you use most often, then— gotcha!—jack up its prices the next week.

Well, you say, if they do that, I'll switch companies. Gotcha again! Bush's law only lets you switch cards once a year. And you thought phone companies were bad.