Home Media Center News Releases

Washington, D.C.—The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) today welcomed congressional approval of legislation that would provide federal employees with the opportunity to purchase supplemental vision and dental insurance at lower group rates.

NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley applauded the move, and thanked Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Daniel Akaka (D-HI) for their leadership in pressing Congress to enact this new supplemental benefit package.” Kelley added: “This legislation addresses a glaring hole in the federal employee benefit package.”

As approved, the vision-dental program calls for employees to pay the entire cost of the supplemental coverage, which would be outside the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). At the same time, the program allows federal employees to pay premiums using pre-tax dollars through the government’s premium conversion plan—a program initiated at NTEU’s urging—that allows employees to save a substantial amount of money on health care costs.

NTEU continues to believe that the federal government “should contribute toward these additional benefits,” the union leader said.

On a related health insurance matter, President Kelley praised the legislation for its requirement that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) review the possibility of continuing coverage for full-time students under FEHB family policies beyond age 22.

That is now prohibited to federal employees, although the practice is quite common among private sector employers and state and local governments.

“This family-friendly change in the law would be another step toward making the federal government an employer of choice,” Kelley said.

As the largest independent federal union, NTEU represents some 150,000 employees in 30 agencies and departments.