Vermont considers single-payer system

An advisory team to the Vermont legislature recommends that the state switch to a single-payer healthcare system managed by an independent board and claims processor as the best option to cover all of its residents and control costs.

The advisory team, led by William Hsiao, PhD, a professor of economics at the Harvard School of Public Health, was commissioned last year by state lawmakers to analyze three models for state health reform. The options considered were a single-payer model run by the government; a public health plan option; or single-payer public/private hybrid with an independent board and claims processed by a third-party contractor.

"Beyond yielding greater cost savings, we believe Option 3 is most feasible because it is likely to be accepted by the broadest cross-section of Vermont stakeholders," Hsaio wrote to lawmakers.