Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced July 27 that his office has negotiated an extension to the regulatory agreement that the Attorney General’s Office holds with all nonprofit hospitals in the state.
The agreement protects Minnesotans who receive healthcare services at state hospitals by protecting patients from abusive, harassing, and deceptive practices when hospitals seek to collect a medical debt. The agreement also provides discounts on certain patients' healthcare services and prohibits unfair billing and collections practices.
"The Hospital Agreement is now a tradition of the Attorney General’s Office that Minnesotans count on to protect them from abusive medical billing and debt collection and help them afford their lives. As long as I’m attorney general, I will keep enforcing it," Mr. Ellison said.
The agreement covers all 128 nonprofit hospitals in Minnesota and, for the first time, one of Minnesota's two for-profit hospital systems, PrairieCare. The hospital agreement has been filed in the Ramsey County District Court and is effective for a five-year term that expires in July 2027.