ELKHART - Local pharmacists experienced both "horror stories" and "heartwarming stories" during the initial weeks of the new Medicare prescription drug program.

One mentioned the destitute woman who left his pharmacy with $300 worth of drugs for only $2. He then described the customer kept on hold for so long by her insurance company that she went and bought a speaker phone.

More than 6.5 million Medicare and Medicaid prescriptions were filled in the program's first 10 days, according to government estimates. For most patients who have received their prescription card from their insurer, everything works fine. Those still waiting for their cards can still visit a pharmacy - but will likely need a little patience.

Pharmacists have faced many difficulties in processing claims correctly, including missing patient information, inaccurate prices and long on-hold times to insurance company call lines.

"This has been smoother than we had expected," said pharmacist Hass Hakim, who had a morning customer leave with $973 worth of medications that only cost her $75. "In the bigger pharmacies it seems like it's been more trouble."

Hakim credited the pharmacy's computer system, which can use patients' Social Security numbers to locate their drug card information even if they don't have it. "Really, if we didn't have that program, it would have been a mess," he said.

Larry Risser of Elkhart was one of many who expected the new program to be "a real mess," but he was pleased as he left Seifert's one recent afternoon.

Risser had spent most of the past weekend on the phone trying to get the Humana account numbers for his wife and his mother, whose cards had not yet arrived.

"But it was worth it," he said, figuring his wife will save $1,000 a year on her six medications. He expects his mother will save more than $3,000 a year on her seven. "And I'm retired, so I've got the time to do it," he added.

Across town, Edson Zimmer, 46, waited at Walgreen's on South Main Street, trying as he had for more than a week to get his prescriptions at the price his insurance company promised him.

"What they originally told me, as far as the co-payment, is not what's coming up," said Zimmer, who takes medications for a neurological disorder that put him out of work.

Zimmer signed up in December for a plan that promised him $3 to $5 each for drugs that used to cost him $228 a month. But he said his company entered his information wrong and has yet to correct it.

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