Govt says employer health premiums will rise nearly 1 pct due to coverage for young adults

New coverage for young adults will raise premiums

WASHINGTON — The government says letting young adults stay on their parents’ health insurance until they turn 26 will nudge premiums higher for employer plans.

The coverage requirement, effective later this year, is one of the most anticipated early benefits of President Barack Obama’s new health care law.

The Health and Human Services department says in an estimate released Monday that the benefit will cost $3,380 for each dependent, raising premiums by 0.7 percent in 2011 for employer plans. Some 1.2 million young adults are expected to sign up, more than half of whom would have been uninsured.