Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced that his office is reviewing the proposed mergers between healthcare systems Essentia Health and Marshfield Clinic Health System and between healthcare systems St. Luke’s Duluth and Aspirus Health to evaluate the transactions’ compliance with Minnesota law.

Under state law, the Attorney General is the chief civil regulator of charities and nonprofits in Minnesota and has authority to enforce state and federal antitrust laws. The Attorney General has additional authority to review healthcare transactions under Minn. Stat. 145D.01, Minnesota’s new health care entity transaction law, which among other provisions authorizes the Attorney General to consider whether a healthcare transaction is in the public interest, and seek court intervention if the Attorney General finds that it is not.

As part of his Office’s review of the transactions, Attorney General Ellison is seeking input from the public. The Attorney General’s office will host a community meeting in Duluth on October 25, 2023 at the University of Minnesota Duluth Campus from 5:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m. Members of the public who are interested in speaking at the meeting can sign up here. Advance sign-up is not required, however. 

Additionally, a Community Input Form on the Attorney General’s Office website provides another way for Minnesotans to offer their input on the proposed mergers. Minnesotans may also offer input by calling the Attorney General’s Office at (651) 296-3353 (Metro area) or (800) 657-3787 (Greater Minnesota).