A study ordered by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley finds the Social Security administration wasted nearly one-billion dollars last year through giving disability payments to people who didn’t deserve them. Grassley, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, says there’s no excuse for the massive waste. Grassley says the Government Accountability Office found disability beneficiaries weren’t being monitored and that up to 31-percent of the people were overpaid, some for years, long after they’d returned to work. One person was reportedly paid 105-thousand dollars in excess payments over seven years. Grassley says he’ll keep pressure on Social Security to correct the problem so there’s money for the people who really need the help. The government spent 70-billion dollars last year paying seven-point-five million disabled workers and their families. Those who can return to work and make more than 810-dollars a month lose their benefits, but Grassley says 18-months can often go by with no updated check of a person’s eligibility.On another topic, A coalition of Canadian groups wants to stop Americans from using Internet pharmacies to raid that nation’s medicine chest or face a shortage and higher prices. Senator Grassley supports allowing U.S. consumers to buy drugs from Canada. Grassley says “We import everything else into America to give our consumers as much freedom to buy as they want to from the standpoint of price and equality, but I know of only pharmaceuticals that we don’t allow into this country.” Canadian health officals say the U.S. poses -no- threat to Canada’s drug supply, adding, Canada has a surplus of flu shots which could help ease shortages in the U-S. On the broader issue, Grassley says importing prescription drugs would help bring down prices for American consumers. Grassley says “If Canada’s got a problem, all they’ve gotta’ do is buy more drugs and more importantly, give their citizens access to more drugs. We’ve got Canadians coming down to America to buy drugs the Canadian government won’t buy for their people under their government-run medical system.” The coalition claims it represents ten-million Canadians who want a ban on prescription drug exports. Canada reportedly sends one-billion dollars in pharmaceuticals to the U.S. every year.
