Health Online

Background: The center is a nonprofit group committed to helping older people and adults with disabilities get good health care. Its Web site is meant to be an all-purpose guide through the politics, jargon and puzzles of the federal Medicare program.

What works: In recent weeks Congress has defeated proposals to add a drug benefit to Medicare, but the site has extensive links to alternative sources of aid for seniors who need drugs. It lists not only special programs with eligibility requirements, but discount drug cards, mail-order pharmacies, and low-cost Internet services. A feature called Medicare Answers provides lucid explanations of how to choose and use a Medicare plan, and how to appeal coverage decisions you feel aren’t justified. This site is not a particularly good source of news: The current debate over a drug benefit is not well covered, for instance. But it’s a good place to learn what you can expect from Medicare--and what to do if the program doesn’t provide it.