WALTHAM, Mass. -- A new federal prescription drug plan for senior citizens is up and running, but some critics said it needs a checkup.

NewsCenter 5's Pam Cross reported that the federal Medicare Web site is frequently down or offers incorrect information, and insurance company voicemail systems sometimes disconnect callers.

"My mother is very lucky. She has five children that will help with her prescription. But there are some elderly out there that don’t have family, and if they can’t fill their prescriptions, you know, what is going to happen? They are not going to take them," said Linda Walton, of Billerica, Mass.

The new system was supposed to be better for Walton's mother, who takes eight to nine prescriptions. So far, she said, it isn't. The new prescription card isn't working.

Pharmacist Stephen Bernardi said he is trying to help seniors. For now, he is covering the cost of some prescriptions.

"I don't know how long we're going to be able to do that for. If this doesn't get fixed soon, we will all be in a lot of trouble financially. We are giving everyone their medicines now, even though we are not getting paid for it," Bernardi said.

Critics said there are too many plans to chose from, some will cost seniors more and some aren't working.

"Why do we need 30 or 40 private insurance plans in Massachusetts to help screw up the implementation of this plan?" asked Sen. Mark Montigny, of New Bedford.

Leo Murphy, of West Roxbury, Mass., said he applied for one plan and ended up with two.

"There's so many plans that you can't do it yourself. The pharmacist can’t help you because they don't know what is going on either," Murphy said.

The Massachusetts Senior Action Council opposed the overhaul of the system.

"It's a boondoggle for insurance companies and for the drug companies. They're the ones going to make a fortune out of this," said John Bennett, of the Massachusetts Senior Action Council.

The Massachusetts Senior Action Council started a petition drive on Wednesday to force Congress to overhaul the new prescription plan. They called it a grassroots effort that's just beginning in places across the country.