Bill would open hospital board meetings in Vt.

A leading advocate for single-payer healthcare in Vermont is pushing legislation that would require that hospital board meetings be subject to the state's open meeting law.

Dr. Deb Richter of the Vermont chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program, says Vermont's hospitals spend about $2 billion a year, much of it coming from taxpayers who support public health insurance programs.

While the open meeting law would apply, the Vermont Public Records Act would not be in force in the private, non-profit hospitals.

Jill Mazza Olson, vice president of the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, says the group will talk with lawmakers about the information hospitals already make available to the public and to regulators.