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

Will review transaction as required by state law to determine whether it is in the public interest; will consider all public input as part of review

September 29, 2026 (SAINT PAUL) —  The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office is inviting public comments on the proposed acquisition of Essential Health by HealthPartners. Members of the public can submit information through an online Community Input Form.

The Attorney General will review the proposed transaction under the state’s health care transaction law (Minn. Stat. sec. 145D.01), charities law, and antitrust law, to determine compliance, including whether the transaction is in the public interest. Under Minnesota law, the Attorney General, in consultation with the Department of Health, evaluates a health care transaction’s impact on patients and the health care workforce, including how the transaction may affect health care options, access, affordability.

The Attorney General’s Office will consider all public input as part of its review. Submissions are generally treated as “not public” data under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. The feedback provided by the public will help in the Office’s evaluation of the proposed transaction.

“Proposed health care consolidation requires close scrutiny,” said Attorney General Keith Ellison. “As we have done several times now, we will conduct a thorough review of this potential acquisition to ensure it complies with the law and is in the public interest. As long as I am Attorney General, I will use every tool at my disposal to both protect and improve Minnesotans’ access to high-quality, affordable healthcare.”

Information about the proposed transaction

On September 29, 2026, Health Partners and Essentia announced that they have signed a definitive agreement for Essentia to join HealthPartners.

HealthPartners is a nonprofit integrated health system and insurer headquartered in Bloomington, with eight hospitals and more than 90 clinics and other outpatient services. It employs about 28,000 people, including over 2,000 clinicians, and serves more than 1.4 million patients in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Health Partners also has an insurance arm that provides coverage to roughly 1.6 million members.

Essentia Health is a nonprofit integrated health system headquartered in Duluth, serving Minnesota, western Wisconsin and North Dakota. It operates 14 hospitals, 80 clinics, as well as retail pharmacies, assisted living and independent facilities, long-term care facilities, and an ambulance service with 16,500 employees. Essentia has more than 2,500 clinicians serving about 600,000 patients.  

Under the proposal, HealthPartners Chief Executive Officer Andrea Walsh would serve as Chief Executive Officer of the combined organization, which would operate as HealthPartners, with Essential Chief Executive Officer Dr. David Herman, M.D. serving as President, Care Group.

How to provide input

The Attorney General's Office will host a community forum to obtain input on the transaction as part of the review, at a date and location to be announced.