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Washington, D.C.—The president of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) today called for congressional action on a serious and growing health care problem—young adults without health insurance.

This group, from ages 19 to 29—including dependent children of federal workers covered by the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP)—makes up the largest and fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population without health insurance, NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley told the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia.

“Young enrollees in FEHBP who are dependents need health care coverage. This is the right thing to do,” said President Kelley. The NTEU leader testified in support of H.R. 5550, which in its original form would have raised the maximum age to qualify for dependent coverage under the government’s health benefits program to age 25 from 22. During the mark up of H.R. 5550 following the hearing, Subcommittee Chairman Danny Davis (D-Ill.), amended the legislation to conform to congressional budget rules.

Saying the issue merited further study, President Kelley offered to work with the committee to improve the amendment. The amendment directs the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish an alternative health care program for young adults that would require federal employees—not the agency—to bear all premium costs.

“We need an independent, in-depth, analysis to see what this proposed program will cost our members, and whether it offers another lower cost choice,” Kelley said. “Any substitute program that is cost prohibitive is not a real benefit.”

At present, dependent children of federal employees lose their health insurance through FEHBP when they turn 22. “These young adults are frequently in college, or out of school but with no job, or no job with benefits,” President Kelley said, noting in particular that a growing number of collegiate programs run longer than the traditional four years. “Many young people do not complete college any more in four years, through no fault of their own,” she said.

This is far from an abstraction, the NTEU leader said, telling the subcommittee of an NTEU member whose daughter lost coverage at age 22 while still attending college and working in a job that didn’t provide health insurance. Her parents were unable to afford a separate policy covering her. She suffered an accident, incurred $25,000 in medical expenses and had to get a full-time job to pay that debt while putting her college education on hold.

While FEBHP does offer a program to enrollees who lose their health coverage, including those dependents who reach the age of 22, the NTEU leader pointed out the requirement that they pay the full cost of the premium, including not only the enrollee’s share, but the government’s share—and a 2 percent administrative fee, as well.

Kelley also noted in her testimony that at least 17 states have taken action to extend coverage to dependents in private plans. “Private insurers are offering coverage for young people…yet one of the largest health insurance plans in the country—one that serves almost nine million people—is way behind the curve,” she said. “This is an area in which the federal government should lead, not follow.” Extending health care coverage to young adults will only help federal agencies in meeting their recruitment and retention goals in the ongoing competition with the private sector for the most talented employees, she added.

NTEU is the largest independent federal union, representing 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments.