Another oft-cited accomplishment of Hatch's was the 2005 agreement he reached with every hospital in Minnesota over their billing and collection practices. Under the agreement, the hospitals agreed to charged uninsured patients with household incomes less than $125,000, the same discounted prices their largest insurance company got. Before the agreement, hospitals charged uninsured patients up to four times more than they charged insurance companies. The hospitals also agreed to change their debt-collection practices to offer more charity care and give patients greater rights to negotiate payment terms. In a May 9, 2005 editorial, the "Star Tribune" wrote, "It is good to see Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch adopting the uninsured, the orphans of the health care system, and getting them a better deal."