Investigation Finds Minnesota Hospitals Provide Little Charity Care to Patients

An investigation has revealed that a majority of hospitals in Minnesota provide minimal financial assistance to patients and frequently create barriers that make charity care difficult to access.

The findings, resulting from a collaborative effort between KFF Health News and the Minnesota Star Tribune, indicate that many health systems are failing to provide significant aid to those struggling with medical debt.

This issue is particularly acute for nonprofit hospitals. These institutions receive millions of dollars in federal, state, and local tax breaks in exchange for a legal obligation to provide charity care to patients who cannot afford their medical bills.

Barriers to Financial Assistance

The investigation highlights the gap between the tax-exempt status of nonprofit hospitals and the actual delivery of financial aid to the community.

Cori Roberts of St. Cloud, Minnesota, experienced these barriers after being diagnosed with early-stage cervical cancer. Despite having insurance, Roberts was hit with medical bills exceeding $8,000 from CentraCare, a St. Cloud-based health system.

At the time, Roberts was working in a human resources position with an annual salary of approximately $41,000. She sought financial assistance from CentraCare, but the health system informed her that her income was too high to qualify for aid.

Roberts described her financial situation at the time, stating, I had my car and a basket of clothes, and noting that medical bills were not something I could have afforded.

Over the course of two years, Roberts paid more than $6,000 toward her debt by reducing spending on groceries and gifts for her children.

Despite these efforts, CentraCare sued Roberts in 2025 because she had not fully paid off the remaining debt.

Roberts expressed frustration over the actions of the institution, stating, They’re supposed to be a nonprofit, and adding, It’s like, ‘Come on!’

The Role of Nonprofit Health Systems

The investigation found that CentraCare earmarks only a small fraction of its budget for helping patients with unaffordable medical bills.

This pattern is not isolated to a single institution. The data suggests that many Minnesota hospitals provide very little financial aid, even as the number of uninsured individuals grows.

The disconnect between the requirement to provide community benefit and the actual accessibility of charity care programs leaves many patients in financial peril, even those with moderate incomes who do not meet strict poverty guidelines but cannot manage high-cost medical emergencies.