Some federal workers lost health coverage they had paid for. A Democrat wants answers

The U.S. Capitol Building is seen connected December 2, 2024 successful Washington, D.C. Samuel Corum/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Samuel Corum/Getty Images North America

The apical Democrat connected nan House Oversight Committee is demanding answers from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick astir why labor fired from his section were denied wellness attraction sum they had already paid for.

"I impulse you to return contiguous action to remedy nan financial and beingness wounded done to labor who had their wellness sum illegally cancelled," wrote Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts, acting ranking personnel of nan committee, successful a missive to Lutnick. "I besides petition accusation astir really you are ensuring that specified maltreatment of labor ne'er occurs again."

The letter, sent to Lutnick connected Wednesday, follows reporting by NPR that Commerce Department labor who were fired, reinstated by tribunal order, and fired again had had their wellness attraction sum prematurely trim off. They were near uninsured – contempt nan truth that they'd been paying their wellness attraction premiums done paycheck deductions, and contempt nan national government's argumentation to supply 31 days of free wellness attraction sum aft an worker is terminated.

"Commerce's nonaccomplishment to meet its wellness attraction obligations to its labor raises concerns astir whether different forms of owed compensation, specified arsenic costs for earned time off and in installments hours, are being denied," Lynch wrote.

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick delivers remarks astatine nan U.S. Capitol connected April 23, 2025 successful Washington, D.C. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America

Fired, concisely reinstated, and fired again

Those affected were each considered probationary employees, typically much caller hires though galore had years of acquisition successful their fields. The Commerce Department fired astir 800 of them successful precocious February and early March as portion of nan Trump administration's efforts to quickly downsize nan national workforce. At nan time, immoderate labor were told their wellness benefits would extremity aft a 31-day grace period.

But states sued complete their abrupt terminations, and successful mid-March, a national judge successful Maryland recovered that their firings were apt illegal and ordered them reinstated. The Commerce Department brought them backmost and put them connected paid administrative leave. Some were assured by their supervisors that their benefits would beryllium restored. Others received caller security cards successful nan mail.

Then conscionable weeks later, an appeals tribunal voided nan little tribunal order. The very adjacent day, April 10, nan Commerce Department informed labor they were being fired erstwhile again, retroactive to their original termination dates.

She had hep surgery, believing she was insured

Ya'el Seid-Green was among nan hundreds caught up successful this chaos. She had worked arsenic a contractor for nan Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for 4 years earlier becoming a national worker successful 2023.

She had a long-planned hep arthroscopic room scheduled for April 9. She considered putting it disconnected fixed nan upheaval astatine activity and nan disorder complete whether her wellness security had really been restored.

A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) logo is seen astatine nan Aircraft Operations Center successful Lakeland, Florida, connected May 6, 2025. The Trump management fired astir 600 NOAA labor successful its purge of probationary workers earlier this year. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images

"People were getting different answers from different people, different answers from nan aforesaid people," Seid-Green told NPR.

The time earlier her surgery, she sewage an email forwarded to her by a supervisor that said nan authorities "had tally into immoderate issues" but was actively moving connected restoring her wellness coverage. That gave her assurance that nan room would beryllium covered, particularly since she'd been paying her premium.

So she showed up nan adjacent greeting for her surgery. She was handed a costs estimate, paid her $150 co-pay and had nan procedure. The very adjacent day, during a follow-up visit, she learned that nan Commerce Department was firing her again.

A afloat week aft that, connected April 17, she and others astatine NOAA received a memo from quality resources informing them that their wellness attraction sum had ended April 8, nan original security termination day they'd been fixed earlier they were reinstated.

Without insurance, Seid-Green now owes astir $15,000 for nan room alone. This week, she says, she's gotten calls from her room halfway and her beingness therapist urging her to group up costs plans.

More than a period ago, she submitted paperwork to enroll successful nan national government's type of COBRA, paying for nan full costs of her wellness coverage, but hasn't yet gotten confirmation that she's really been enrolled.

"I conscionable support telling them that it'll yet beryllium covered," she wrote to NPR this week, adding a fingers-crossed emoji.

A Democrat demands answers

Democratic Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts speaks during a proceeding successful nan Rayburn House Office Building connected Capitol Hill connected April 12, 2018. Lynch was tapped by Rep. Gerry Connolly to service arsenic nan acting apical Democrat connected nan House Oversight Committee aft Connolly stepped speech successful precocious April, conscionable weeks earlier his passing. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/Getty Images North America

Now, Lynch has asked Lutnick to explicate why nan Commerce Department did not grant its committedness to proceed employees' wellness sum for a 31-day play aft their termination, challenging nan department's determination to guidelines security sum connected nan employees' original termination dates aft nan appeals tribunal allowed nan firings to spell forward. Cases challenging nan firings proceed to make their measurement done nan courts.

Lynch is besides demanding to cognize why nan Commerce Department has not refunded nan wellness security premiums that nan fired labor kept paying. Half a twelve erstwhile Commerce Department labor astatine NOAA and astatine nan CHIPS for America programme told NPR that moreover their last salary stubs from nan salary play ending April 19 show a conclusion for their wellness attraction premiums.

In nan little April 10 email informing labor they were being fired a 2nd clip retroactive to their original termination dates, nan Commerce Department said they would not beryllium required to return nan salary they had received while they were connected administrative leave. Now immoderate of them wonderment if nan authorities sees that arsenic much than capable to screen nan wellness attraction premiums they'd paid, for sum that was not provided.

In his letter, Lynch asked Lutnick to reimburse each terminated labor for wellness attraction premiums paid while they were not covered. He besides demanded labor beryllium reimbursed for immoderate aesculapian bills that their security would person covered during that time.

Lynch asked that Lutnick supply nan House Oversight Committee pinch answers and a follow-up study by June 18.

The Commerce Department did not instantly respond to NPR's petition for remark connected Lynch's missive and did not respond to aggregate earlier requests for remark astir nan termination of fired employees' wellness insurance.