poorly reserved. PHP, an HMO with 400,000 enrollees, was on the brink of insolvency. PHP had 4,600 medical providers on its panel, over one-third of whom joined a "PHP Oversight Committee" whose goal was to take over the organization. If PHP became insolvent, the other HMOs were not in a position to offer coverage to its enrollees. PHP and the Oversight Committee were engaged in a court fight in Hennepin County District Court, and, to break the logjam, the parties asked Governor Perpich to intervene. On August 15, 1987, Perpich agreed to intervene and appointed Hatch and Health Commissioner Mary Ashton as mediators. Over the next week, the two conducted marathon negotiation sessions culminating in a verbal settlement at 4:00 a.m. the following Friday. The PHP settlement involved a change in the composition of its board of directors. A Minnesota political reporter wrote that Hatch was "a zealous consumer watchdog in the regulation of banks, insurance companies, securities and real estate firms." Attorney general of Minnesota (1999 to 2006) Campaign As an attorney in private practice with his own Minneapolis law firm, Hatch represented over 50 women pro bono in lawsuits to receive coverage from their HMOs for breast cancer treatment. The experience led Hatch to run for attorney general in 1998. He ran as a populist who promised to tackle problems in the health care system and malfeasance by large corporations. His campaign featured TV ads with testimonials from some of the breast cancer patients he had represented. Hatch quickly made health care reform one of his top priorities as attorney general. First six months As attorney general Hatch got off to a quick start in implementing his campaign promises. He had pledged to be an active attorney general who would be the "people’s lawyer," not just represent state agencies. A former insurance regulator, Hatch brought complex, heavily litigated lawsuits against major corporations and health care companies throughout his tenure. In March 1999 he filed suit against American Family Mutual for failing to pay for repairs after storms. American Family had initially sued Hatch to keep him from investigating it, so Hatch ended his investigation and sued the company instead. He alleged that the company violated the law when it paid only for the portion of a consumer's roof or siding that was damaged by hail or wind, leaving homeowners with mismatched roofs and siding when the replacement siding