MultiCare completes Samaritan affiliation with $700 million, 10-year pledge

Regulators cleared the deal's final elements, covering Samaritan's health plans, in October 2026. The closing came a month after the systems' original 1 October 2026 target.

For residents of Benton, Lincoln and Linn counties, the change means a new owner for five hospitals, more than 100 clinics and the system's insurance plans. MultiCare's $700 million commitment runs for ten years and was a condition of the Oregon Health Authority's approval.

What closed on 1 November 2026

MultiCare ran 13 hospitals before the closing. Samaritan's five, in Newport, Lincoln City, Corvallis, Albany and Lebanon, bring the total to 18.

The combined network also includes more than 300 clinics and urgent care sites and more than 36,000 team members, up from more than 28,000 at MultiCare before the merger. Samaritan says it serves more than 280,000 residents in Benton, Lincoln and Linn counties. The systems put combined revenue at more than $7.5 billion. S&P Global Ratings estimated combined revenue at about $9.1 billion, Chief Healthcare Executive reported.

The $700 million and its conditions

Samaritan said the money is earmarked for access to care, clinician recruitment and retention, workforce development, facilities and technology.

Digital Health News reported that planned work includes expanding inpatient capacity at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, modernizing buildings, strengthening telehealth and widening primary and specialty care. Officials said a locally led planning process shaped by community comments will set the timing and final priorities. In August 2026 the Oregon Health Authority approved the transaction with conditions. Among them were the $700 million commitment and reinvestment of Samaritan's operating margins into local communities.

Samaritan keeps its name and its local leadership, and Samaritan leaders now sit in MultiCare's system governance, according to an FAQ on the deal.

Marty Cahill remains Samaritan's president and chief executive. He also becomes senior vice president and chief executive of MultiCare's Oregon Coast to Cascades Region. "The people who live here count on Samaritan, and we chose this partnership to strengthen our ability to serve them for generations to come," Cahill said. Bill Robertson, MultiCare's chief executive, said the two systems could improve access and care in the region. He said MultiCare was proud to welcome Samaritan and to invest in healthcare in these communities.

Why the systems wanted it

Samaritan said "strengthening Samaritan's long-term financial stability" was a primary driver, citing rising costs, lower reimbursement rates and workforce shortages. S&P Global Ratings said in its 12 October 2026 analysis that Samaritan posted operating losses in fiscal 2025, smaller than the year before. The rating agency put Samaritan's market share at 71% in a market it described as having limited competition. MultiCare has been expanding too: it finalized an affiliation with Overlake Medical Center & Clinics in Washington state in 2024. The Samaritan deal gives it a first acute-care hospital presence in Oregon.

Federal funding cuts under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are also looming. Fitch Ratings said Medicaid-dependent, low-rated nonprofits could feel the brunt, Healthcare Dive reported.

Staff and the union vote

Partly because of the merger, 120 Samaritan primary care doctors, physician associates and nurse practitioners voted in October 2026 to form a bargaining unit at 24 clinics and join a union. It is the first time these Samaritan providers have voted to unionize, the Lincoln Chronicle reported on 6 November 2026.

What happens next

A phased integration began on 1 November 2026, and both organizations said the transition would not disrupt patient services or health plan coverage. Florence Chang, MultiCare's president, becomes chief executive in January 2027 after Bill Robertson retires, Chief Healthcare Executive reported.

Leaders from both systems marked the closing on Monday, 2 November 2026 at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital, unveiling signs with both logos. The systems set up an FAQ for patients on coverage and services.