HealthPartners and Essentia Health announce plan to merge

Key Points:

• HealthPartners and Essentia Health boards have approved a merger plan, pending regulatory approval, aiming to complete the merger by early next year and create one of the largest healthcare systems in the region with about 45,000 employees across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota.
• The combined organization, retaining the HealthPartners name, intends to expand access to high-quality care, enhance medical expertise, and offer more career opportunities for employees, with HealthPartners CEO Andrea Walsh leading and Essentia CEO David Herman serving as president of clinical care operations.
• This merger follows two other major healthcare consolidations involving Minnesota systems in 2026: the completed North Memorial Health and Sanford Health merger, and the ongoing review of the proposed Allina Health and Sutter Health merger.
• The Minnesota Nurses Association expressed serious concerns over the merger, criticizing the lack of prior notice to staff and warning about the risks of healthcare consolidation on patient care and community outcomes.
• Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced a thorough review of the proposed merger, inviting public comments to ensure compliance with the law and protection of the public interest.