Access to high-quality, affordable care is under threat in Minnesota. A wave of mergers & acquisitions has swept through the state, leaving Minnesotans paying more for less. Too often, these deals have resulted in higher costs, fewer choices, and cuts to services that hurt patients and frontline healthcare workers. Right now, two major hospital acquisitions – North Memorial Health by Sanford Health, and Allina Health by Sutter Health – threaten to exacerbate those trends. These out-of-state acquisitions mean that decisions about your care may be made in corporate boardrooms thousands of miles away, by those who have never stepped foot in our communities.

           Despite swearing that they share Minnesotans’ values, there’s reason to be skeptical of Sutter and Sanford. Inpatient care is 70% more expensive in Northern California, where Sutter dominates, than Southern California, and the company has spent $800 million to settle antitrust lawsuits. Sanford, meanwhile, has refused to make a long-term commitment to keep essential services serving the entire state. But Minnesotans won’t go down without a fight. That’s why a coalition of community members and workers have come together to call on Sutter, Allina, Sanford, and North Memorial executives to move beyond rhetoric – and to give communities a seat at the table by negotiating a Community Benefits Agreement.

FAQ’s

  • The proposed acquisitions of Allina Health by California-based Sutter and North Memorial by South Dakota-based Sanford Health wouldn’t just change names on a building - they will affect Minnesotans’ access to high-quality, affordable care and local decision-making. Studies show that hospital mergers & acquisitions raise prices for patients and result in service cuts and facility closures, hurting the most vulnerable in our communities.

  • A Community Benefits Agreement is a legally binding, negotiated contract between health systems and communities affected by the acquisition, establishing concrete commitments around services, affordability, jobs, and community investment.

  • The coalition is made up of patients, community organizations, faith groups, and healthcare workers. Current partners include ISAIAH, SEIU Healthcare MN & IA, Minnesota Nurses Association, Doctors Council SEIU, AFSCME Council 65, OPEIU,  Healthcare for All MN, New Justice Project, and International Association of EMTs & Paramedics Local 167. Add your organization’s support here.

  • Minnesotans from across the state are asking health system representatives to sit down with patients, workers, and community members and negotiate a legally binding agreement to establish clear commitments around services, affordability, jobs, and community investment.

  • Too often, hospital mergers & acquisitions have been treated as routine business decisions, largely without the input of patients, healthcare workers, and the communities that depend on them. As a result, many of these deals have resulted in higher costs, fewer choices, and cuts to services that hurt patients and frontline healthcare workers.

    Rather than follow business as usual, Minnesotans are calling on healthcare executives to do right by Minnesotans and protect the care we depend on by negotiating a legally enforceable Community Benefits Agreement.

  • A Community Benefits Agreement will give community members a seat at the table, addressing our real needs, not just those that are convenient to hospital executives in Sioux Falls and Sacramento. While promises often change, a Community Benefits Agreement will create accountability, ensuring that commitments are followed.

  • Take a minute to sign this petition in support of a Community Benefits Agreement that will formally establish requirements set by the community that these healthcare companies must legally honor, including that they maintain services in our communities and ensure strong protections for healthcare workers.