WASHINGTON -- Standing with about 50 young adults and two top-ranking members of the House of Representatives, Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper, D-Erie, was "the person of the hour" yesterday, in the words of Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

They assembled at a news conference in the U.S. Capitol to announce that a bill introduced by Ms. Dahlkemper to allow young adults to stay on their parents' insurance plans from age 19 through 26 will be included in pending health care reform legislation. Pennsylvania, one of 30 states to have a similar provision, passed a law this year allowing young people to remain on their parents' health insurance until they turn 30.

The first-term congresswoman said she knows from experience about the problems of insuring 20-somethings, as she has five children between 20 and 30.

"There is a clear and urgent need to provide health care to young adults," said Ms. Dahlkemper. "When they have emergencies, their care often comes at taxpayer expense or not at all."

Adding the so-called "young invincibles" to the insurance rolls has been one goal of health care reform, in the hope that it will bring down costs by spreading the risk pool. Ms. Dahlkemper touted the measure as a common-sense idea that comes at no cost to taxpayers.

Originally introduced in June as a separate bill -- Ms. Dahlkemper's first piece of legislation -- the measure will be included in the health care bill Ms. Pelosi decides to bring to the floor. It will be scaled back from Ms. Dahlkemper's initial proposal to cover individuals through age 29.

House Democratic leadership is waiting on cost estimates from the Congressional Budget Office to come back before crafting a bill. The Senate, working simultaneously, took a step forward yesterday by passing a reform bill from the Finance Committee. Ms. Pelosi said she expects a final bill to pass by Thanksgiving.

Ms. Dahlkemper, a former dietitian, said that because uncertainty remains about what the legislation will become, she won't commit to voting for it -- but that she generally favors reform efforts, including a federally run health insurer known as the public option.

Having been in office for only nine months, she said it was a thrill to stand in the spotlight with Ms. Pelosi and Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., a member of the party leadership as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

"This is the biggest piece of legislation I'm ever going to vote for," Ms. Dahlkemper said. "To actually say I have a footprint on it is exciting."

Ms. Dahlkemper, who meets weekly with Ms. Pelosi and other leaders with the rest of the Democratic freshmen, also got to bask in kind words from some of the top members in her party.

"I want to congratulate, as the speaker has, a colleague, a terrific new member of Congress, Kathy Dahlkemper, for her leadership on this issue," Mr. Van Hollen said.

"She's been very active on the whole health care debate generally. She's been listening to her constituents back home, coming back to all of us with great ideas, and I want to thank her for her leadership."

Washington correspondent Daniel Malloy writes the "Pittsburgh On The Potomac" blog exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.