2 former MN governors raise concerns about health merger

Two former Minnesota governors came before a state Senate committee on Tuesday night to oppose South Dakota-based Sanford Health gaining control of the University of Minnesota academic medical center in the proposed merger with M-Health Fairview.

Mark Dayton, a Democrat, said the transfer of the U-of-M’s health facilities to Fairview in the 1990s was “a grievous mistake,” adding that all University medical units should be returned to state control.

“The prospect that the governance of the University of Minnesota’s academic health center could shift to a South Dakota-based enterprise is alarming and should never be allowed to happen,” Dayton said.

Tim Pawlenty, a Republican, said Minnesota’s health care system is one of the state’s top assets.

“As far as I know there is no precedent – there is no precedent – for an out-of-state entity owning or controlling a state’s flagship medical academic hospital or academic medical center,” Pawlenty said.

Before the meeting, Fairview offered the U-of-M the chance to buy its academic assets, which would total roughly $1 billion dollars.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is reviewing the merger with regard to antitrust laws.