Minnesota health systems HealthPartners, Essentia Health announce plan to merge
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Another proposed health system merger is poised to further reshape Minnesota’s healthcare industry.
Bloomington-based HealthPartners and Duluth-based Essentia Health announced Tuesday that their respective boards of directors have approved a merger plan.
If approved by regulators, the merger of the two nonprofit health systems is set to be complete by the start of next year. The new organization would take the HealthPartners name and have about 45,000 employees staffing dozens of hospitals and clinics across Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota. It would be one of the largest healthcare systems in the region.
“This combination is about doing more for the people and communities who count on us,” HealthPartners President and CEO Andrea Walsh said in a statement announcing the merger.
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“HealthPartners and Essentia Health share a belief that everyone deserves access to high-quality care and coverage, close to home and centered on their needs. Together, we can build on the strengths of both organizations to improve health, expand access and create a stronger future for the communities we serve.”
Essentia Health CEO Dr. David Herman said the two organizations “share similar missions and values, deep roots in this region, and a focus on improving health and well-being.”
“As a combined nonprofit health system, we will be able to better innovate and grow our workforce. That strong foundation will make us even better partners for our patients, working together to help people live their healthiest lives, wherever they call home,” Herman said in a statement.
The two health systems said they have “complementary strengths in care delivery, health plan coverage, urban and rural community health, research, medical education and innovation.”
They said the merger would give patients access to more medical expertise and specialists and give employees more career pathways within the organization.
Walsh would lead the combined organization, with Herman serving as president of combined clinical care group operations.
HealthPartners and Essentia said their patients and members should not see any changes or interruptions to health care or insurance coverage.
In a statement following the announcement, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said his office will gather public comments on the planned merger, as it reviews the proposal.
“Proposed healthcare consolidation requires close scrutiny,” Ellison said in a news release. “As we have done several times now, we will conduct a thorough review of this potential acquisition to ensure it complies with the law and is in the public interest.”
Essentia Health operates 14 hospitals and dozens of clinics in central and northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota.
HealthPartners operates nine hospitals — including Regions Hospital in St. Paul — as well as dozens of clinics. It also offers health and dental insurance plans covering more than a 1.5 million people.
Tuesday’s announcement follows the merger of North Memorial Health and South Dakota-based Sanford Health earlier this year.
And a proposed merger of Allina Health and California-based Sutter Health remains under review by state regulators.
In 2025, Essentia Health was part of a proposed health system alliance involving Fairview Health Services and the University of Minnesota — but that proposal did not move forward.
In 2022, Essentia had also explored a possible merger with Wisconsin’s Marshfield Clinic Health System but later ended those discussions. Marshfield later merged with Sanford Health.
