Regions Hospital: Charity Care

Regions Hospital, a privately owned facility in St. Paul, provides 90 percent of all charity care in Ramsey County. To help secure legislative relief for its charity care, Regions engaged Padilla Speer Beardsley to make its case. PSB conducted a public opinion poll that revealed most people in Minnesota believed state funding covered the cost of charity care and, more importantly, that this was the best way to provide health care to the poor and uninsured. Armed with this information and editorials from both Twin Cities dailies favoring state funding of charity care, Regions approached the state legislature. The legislature authorized a one-time subsidy for Regions, which was less than desired but more than expected.