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Junk fees. Is the loan loaded with add-on products, like "GAP" insurance, service contracts, or credit life insurance? These inflate the cost of the vehicle and loan size, as well as the potential loan kick - back for the dealer..Then last week the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced it will make sure that a COVID-19 vaccine will be made available to all seniors at no cost once a vaccine is approved..As with the start of any new Congress, TSCL is encouraging Senators and Representatives to reintroduce and cosponsor key legislation, like the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act, the Notch Fairness Act, the No Social Security for Illegal Immigrants Act, and the Social Security Fairness Act. TSCL's legislative agenda for the next two years includes the following issues, among others:.Use distributions from Roth accounts to minimize taxation of Social Security benefits. Unlike distributions from traditional IRAs and 401s, qualified distributions from Roth IRAs - those taken when you are over 59½ and the contributions were made more than five years ago - will not subject your Social Security benefits to taxation. To minimize taxation of your Social Security benefits, consider taking distribution from your Roth IRA, and let your Traditional IRA or 401 grow until you reach age 70 and a half. Once you reach that age, distributions of Traditional IRAs and 401s must start by April 1 of the year following..As we've previously reported, the Senate will return for votes starting on September 15 while the House won't be back to begin voting until September 20. Various Congressional committees are back at work this week, however..Higher income beneficiaries who pay "income-based" or Means Tested premiums. In 2009, people with incomes of more than ,000 or 0,000 pay a higher portion of the premium depending on their income..If Congress fails to prevent a default on the federal debt, older Americans will be impacted in two major ways. First, Social Security benefits would be delayed, and millions of seniors living on fixed incomes would suffer financially. Second, health plans that cover Medicare beneficiaries and providers who treat Medicare patients would likely see postponements in their reimbursements from the federal government. Access to quality medical care could become more difficult for older Americans if that occurs..Rural hospitals deserve the same reimbursement rates that big city hospitals receive for providing the same treatments. Patients at rural hospitals deserve the same level of care patients receive at larger hospitals. The Rural Health Care Coalition is simply asking for a level playing field the H-CARE Act does just that..In the coming weeks and months, TSCL will continue to advocate against this balanced budget amendment to the constitution, and we will ask lawmakers to protect the earned benefits of older Americans by supporting legislation like H.R. 5466 from Congressman Ted Deutch. For more information or updates from Capitol Hill, visit our website.