Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has announced a settlement with Mayo Clinic regarding its charity care and debt collection practices. This settlement mandates that Mayo Clinic must provide charity care to certain presumptively eligible patients and simplify the application process for charity care. Additionally, it restricts Mayo Clinic from suing patients to collect medical debt except in extraordinary situations.
The settlement concludes an investigation initiated by the Attorney General's Office in December 2022 following reports in the Rochester Post-Bulletin. These reports alleged that Mayo had pursued legal action against patients who might have qualified for charity care. The investigation revealed barriers in Mayo's policies that hindered patient access to charity care and aggressive debt-collection tactics contrary to the Minnesota Hospital Agreement.
Attorney General Ellison expressed concern over nonprofit hospitals' obligations to offer free or reduced-cost healthcare as part of their tax exemption. He stated, "My office investigated Mayo Clinic and discovered that they were actively dissuading certain patients from seeking charity care."
The agreement requires Mayo Clinic to maintain a policy offering free care for patients with incomes up to 200% of federal poverty guidelines and discounts for those with incomes up to 400%. It also necessitates screening certain patients for presumptive eligibility without requiring an application, while others will benefit from a streamlined application process.
Ellison hopes lawmakers will consider his recommendations for legislative changes to enhance access to charity care. The report accompanying the settlement suggests several reforms aimed at increasing patient access to financial assistance.
A community forum led by Attorney General Ellison is scheduled for March 15 in Rochester, focusing on issues such as medical debt. Interested individuals are encouraged to RSVP online.
For those struggling with medical debt, Ellison advises contacting the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office through their website or by phone.