As Americans lose health coverage and struggle with rising copays and deductibles, charity care from hospitals is becoming increasingly critical. Yet a Minnesota Star Tribune-KFF Health News investigation found that Minnesota hospitals are among the least charitable in the country.
Minnesota hospitals spend about a third of the national average of 2.4% on charity care, according to federal hospital data compiled by Johns Hopkins University researcher Hossein Zare. Of Minnesota’s 123 general hospitals, 62 devoted less than 0.5% of their operating budgets to charity care from 2020 through 2024. CentraCare’s flagship St. Cloud Hospital spent less than 0.25%, equating to $25 in patient aid for every $10,000 spent on hospital operations.
Patients seeking assistance face significant barriers, including inconsistent eligibility standards and burdensome applications. Charity care eligibility varies widely across hospitals—some provide free care to patients with annual household incomes of $47,000, while others cap it at about $15,000. Applicants often must submit bank statements, retirement account information, mortgage documents, and asset valuations. Hendricks Community Hospital requires 53 questions about finances, including details about vehicle make and model, farm equipment, livestock, and property values.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said hospitals have a duty to increase charitable help for needy patients in exchange for tax breaks. However, hospital officials argue their facilities face financial strain and cannot fully meet the need. Nationwide, healthcare debt from hospitals burdens an estimated 100 million people, with the burden falling most heavily on those least able to bear it.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://knpr.org/npr/2026-05-11/as-ranks-of-uninsured-grow-charity-care-can-be-hard-to-come-by-at-many-hospitals