- [Minnesota] Attorney General Lori Swanson is vowing to press on with her investigation of Accretive Health despite the mayor of Chicago asking her to rein it in until she's met executives to discuss concerns about its collection practices.
What possible interest could Rahm have with a Minnesota criminal investigation?
- In April, Swanson released the results of her investigation of Accretive Health's relationship with the Fairview health system, saying the parties had engaged in overly aggressive billing tactics that included pressuring patients for payment in emergency rooms and maternity wards.
"I request that the parties cease efforts to publicly prosecute this matter and rather try to resolve the matter privately," wrote Rahm Emanuel, the mayor of Chicago, in a letter to Swanson released Tuesday. "Please confirm to me that this is the path we are on and let me know the date for which the meeting is scheduled."
Emanuel asked that Swanson back off from interviewing Accretive's clients until that meeting, according to the undated letter. His letter stated that he and Swanson discussed the matter by phone last week, and opened by noting that both Democrats share the goal of making health care affordable.
Wow. Something stinks here. Stinks badly. Is Rahm an investor in Accretive? Is there some other connection to the ObamaCare bill that Accretive is enmeshed in? To her credit, the Minnesota Attorney General isn't being cowed:
- "We will continue to interview witnesses and perform our law enforcement responsibilities over charitable hospitals in Minnesota," Swanson said.
Accretive Health has "retained or contacted numerous heavyweights in the national Democratic Party," Swanson added.
"It has now contacted Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago," she said. "This is a law enforcement matter. Unfortunately, Accretive appears to address it as a political one."
Too bad there aren't any investigative reporters around anymore. We imagine they could have some fun with this one.