Nonprofit Health System Ends Controversial Policy Denying Care to Indebted Patients

Allina Health, a nonprofit health system based in Minnesota, has announced that it will no longer deny medical care to patients with outstanding bills of $4,500 or more. Previously, Allina's hospitals provided emergency care to all patients but cut off other services for those in debt, including children and individuals with chronic illnesses. The policy change comes after an investigation by the attorney general of Minnesota into Allina's practice of withholding care from indebted patients. Nonprofit hospitals like Allina receive tax breaks in exchange for providing care to vulnerable communities, but many have been found to have abandoned their charitable missions.