Nonprofit Health System Halts Practice of Denying Care to Patients with Medical Debt

Allina Health, a nonprofit health system based in Minnesota, has announced a temporary halt to its policy of cutting off services for patients with outstanding medical debt as it re-examines the practice. The policy had previously cut off services for patients with at least $4,500 in outstanding bills, including children and those with chronic illnesses. Allina Health owns 13 hospitals and more than 90 clinics in Minnesota and Wisconsin and avoided roughly $266 million in state, local, and federal taxes in 2020 due to its nonprofit status.