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SB225 • 2026

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning health.

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning health.

Healthcare
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Senator Justin Busch
Last action
2026-03-05
Official status
Enrolled Senate Bill (S)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill's full text is not provided, so some details may be incomplete or require further clarification.

Health Changes in Indiana

This law changes how ambulatory outpatient surgical centers operate and stops hospitals from collecting medical debts if they do not follow certain rules.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the definition of 'ambulatory outpatient surgical center' to allow more types of healthcare providers to perform surgeries there.
  • Prohibits hospitals, debt collectors, or other third parties from pursuing medical debt collection when a hospital is noncompliant with specific laws.
  • Requires the Indiana Department of Health to check every six months if hospitals are following these rules and notify them about it.
  • Gives the Attorney General the power to stop noncompliant hospitals from collecting medical debts.
  • Creates an affirmative defense for patients against debt collection attempts made by noncompliant hospitals.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Hospitals in Indiana
  • Patients with medical bills
  • Healthcare providers who work at ambulatory outpatient surgical centers

Terms To Know

ambulatory outpatient surgical center
A place where patients can have surgery and go home the same day.
noncompliant
Not following rules or laws.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if a hospital fails to give 60 days notice before closing operations.
  • It is unclear how the waiver of notification requirements will be handled in specific circumstances.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

SB0225.03.ENGS.AMH05

Committee Engrossed Senate Bill (H) • Representative Brad Barrett

Filed

Plain English: This amendment adds new requirements for hospitals in Indiana.

  • Adds a requirement that hospitals must provide certain information to patients about their rights and options regarding medical care.
  • The official text does not specify the exact details of what information hospitals are required to provide, making it unclear how this will be implemented in practice.
SB0225.03.ENGS.AMH06

Committee Engrossed Senate Bill (H) • Representative Brad Barrett

Filed

Plain English: The amendment adds a new section to the Indiana Code that deals with nonprofit subsidiary corporations.

  • Adds a new section to the Indiana Code concerning health, specifically about nonprofit subsidiary corporations.
  • The official text does not provide details on what specific rules or requirements are being added for nonprofit subsidiary corporations, making it hard to explain further changes.
  • It is unclear how this amendment will interact with existing laws regarding nonprofits and subsidiaries in Indiana.
SB0225.01.INTR.AMS01

Committee Introduced Senate Bill (S) • Senator Ed Charbonneau

Filed

Plain English: The amendment does not provide any specific changes to the bill and is labeled as 'lien', which typically means it holds a place for future amendments.

  • The official text of the amendment simply states 'Lien' without providing any substantive content or proposed changes, making it unclear what specific actions this amendment intends.
SB0225.01.INTR.AMS02

Committee Introduced Senate Bill (S) • Senator Justin Busch

Filed

Plain English: The amendment changes the definition of medical debt in Indiana's health code.

  • Adds a new definition for 'medical debt' under Indiana law.
  • The exact details and implications of the new definition are not provided, so it is unclear how this will affect existing laws or regulations regarding medical debt.
SB0225.04.COMH.AMH07

Committee Senate Bill (H) • Representative Jeffrey Thompson

Filed

Plain English: This amendment does not provide specific details about changes to the Indiana Code concerning health.

  • The official text of the amendment does not specify any concrete changes or updates to the law, making it impossible to describe its effects.
SB0225.02.COMS.AMS001

Filed Senate Bill (S) • Senator Justin Busch

Passed

Plain English: This amendment changes the Indiana Code to add new requirements for health care providers when dealing with certain medical procedures.

  • Adds new rules for health care providers about specific medical procedures.
  • The official text does not provide details on which medical procedures or exact rules are being added, making it hard to explain the full impact of this amendment.
SB0225.05.COMH.AMH001

Filed Senate Bill (S) • Representative Chris Judy

Failed

Plain English: This amendment aims to modify the Indiana Code regarding health, but does not provide specific details about what changes it intends to make.

  • The exact nature of the change is unclear from the provided text.
  • The official amendment text does not specify any concrete changes or updates to the Indiana Code concerning health.
SB0225.05.COMH.AMH002

Filed Senate Bill (S) • Representative Julie McGuire

Failed

Plain English: This amendment aims to modify the Indiana Code regarding health by adding new provisions.

  • The amendment adds new sections to the Indiana Code related to health, but does not specify what these changes are in plain English.
  • The official text of the amendment is too technical and incomplete to explain the specific changes it would make.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Signed by the Governor

  2. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Public Law 124

  3. 2026-02-27 Senate

    Signed by the President Pro Tempore

  4. 2026-02-27 House

    Signed by the Speaker

  5. 2026-02-27 Senate

    Signed by the President of the Senate

  6. 2026-02-26 Senate

    Senate concurred with House amendments; Roll Call 300: yeas 49, nays 0

  7. 2026-02-25 Senate

    Motion to concur filed

  8. 2026-02-24 House

    Returned to the Senate with amendments

  9. 2026-02-23 House

    Third reading: passed; Roll Call 307: yeas 94, nays 1

  10. 2026-02-23 House

    Representatives McGuire, King added as cosponsors

  11. 2026-02-19 House

    Second reading: ordered engrossed

  12. 2026-02-17 House

    Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

  13. 2026-02-10 House

    Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

  14. 2026-02-10 House

    Recommitted to Committee on Ways and Means pursuant to House Rule 126.3

  15. 2026-01-29 House

    First reading: referred to Committee on Public Health

  16. 2026-01-28 Senate

    Referred to the House

  17. 2026-01-27 Senate

    Third reading: passed; Roll Call 111: yeas 43, nays 1

  18. 2026-01-27 Senate

    House sponsor: Representative Barrett

  19. 2026-01-27 Senate

    Cosponsor: Representative Carbaugh

  20. 2026-01-27 Senate

    Senator Qaddoura added as third author

  21. 2026-01-27 Senate

    Senator Yoder added as coauthor

  22. 2026-01-26 Senate

    Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed

  23. 2026-01-26 Senate

    Amendment #1 (Busch) prevailed; voice vote

  24. 2026-01-22 Senate

    Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

  25. 2026-01-12 Senate

    Senator Charbonneau added as second author

  26. 2026-01-08 Senate

    Authored by Senator Busch

  27. 2026-01-08 Senate

    First reading: referred to Committee on Health and Provider Services

Official Summary Text

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning health.
Health matters.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning health.

Health matters.

Amends the definition of "ambulatory outpatient surgical center" to remove the requirement that a surgical procedure is permitted to be performed only by a physician, dentist, or podiatrist who has certain hospital privileges. Prohibits a hospital, debt collector, or other third party from pursuing medical debt collection if the hospital is noncompliant with specified statutes. Requires the Indiana department of health (state department) to determine on a semiannual basis whether a hospital is in compliance with the statutes and notify a hospital concerning the state department's compliance determination. Authorizes the attorney general to suspend the authority of a hospital to pursue medical debt collection when the state department has made a final determination that the hospital is noncompliant. Creates an affirmative defense for a debtor if the collection attempt occurred while the hospital was noncompliant. Requires a hospital to provide the state department with 60 days written notice if the hospital plans to: (1) close and permanently terminate all hospital operations; or (2) completely eliminate a service line for longer than 90 days. Allows for a waiver of the notification requirements in specified circumstances.