Attorney General Ellison seeks community input on proposed acquisition of Essentia Health by HealthPartners

On September 29, 2026, HealthPartners and Essentia Health announced a definitive agreement for Essentia to join HealthPartners. HealthPartners is a nonprofit integrated health system and insurer headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota, operating eight hospitals, more than 90 clinics and outpatient facilities, employing approximately 28,000 people including over 2,000 clinicians, and serving more than 1.4 million patients in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Its insurance arm provides coverage to roughly 1.6 million members. Essentia Health is a nonprofit integrated health system headquartered in Duluth, operating 14 hospitals, 80 clinics, retail pharmacies, assisted living and independent facilities, long-term care facilities, and an ambulance service, with 16,500 employees and more than 2,500 clinicians serving approximately 600,000 patients across Minnesota, western Wisconsin, and North Dakota. The Minnesota Attorney General's Office is conducting a statutory review of the proposed transaction under Minn. Stat. sec. 145D.01 (Minnesota's health care transaction law), the state's charities law, and antitrust law. The review evaluates whether the transaction is in the public interest, including its impact on patients and the health care workforce, and how it may affect health care options, access, and affordability. The Attorney General conducts this review in consultation with the Minnesota Department of Health. The Attorney General's Office is soliciting public comment through an online Community Input Form, by telephone, and through a community forum to be held at a date and location to be announced. Submissions are treated as 'not public' data under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. Under the proposed structure, HealthPartners CEO Andrea Walsh would lead the combined organization under the HealthPartners name, with Essentia CEO Dr. David Herman serving as President, Care Group.