Op-Ed | Governor Bryan: Why Self-Insurance Is the Key to Controlling Healthcare Costs in the Virgin Islands

In the Virgin Islands, we are no strangers to challenging times. We have faced storms, recessions, energy shortages, setbacks, and a global pandemic that could have broken our spirit. Instead, we turned them into steppingstones to a more resilient future. Today, we face another test of courage—not from the wind or the waves, but from the rising tide of healthcare costs that threaten our government, our seniors, our workforce, and the families who depend on them. Some hear the words “self-insurance” and think of risk. I hear them and think of responsibility. Responsibility to stop paying more for less. Responsibility to confront a system that drains our budgets, our choices, and our peace of mind. Responsibility to claim control of our future before it slips further away. Under our current fixed-cost model, the Government of the Virgin Islands is already the plan sponsor. That means the government, and by extension its employees and retirees, already bear the full cost of healthcare...