KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Indiana

SB85 • 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 Labor
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Senator Ed Charbonneau
Last action
2026-02-02
Official status
Senate Bill (H)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on wage garnishment limits, only that it is authorized to enforce provisions concerning health care debt wage garnishment and principal residence lien restrictions.

Health Care Debt and Costs Act

This bill changes how hospitals handle health care debt and limits when a person's wages can be garnished for unpaid medical bills.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows the state attorney general to enforce rules about wage garnishment and home liens related to health care debts.
  • Requires hospitals to offer payment plans to people who meet certain income guidelines and have received health services.
  • Requires hospitals to provide information about charity care programs and financial assistance on billing statements.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People with health care debt
  • Hospitals in Indiana

Terms To Know

Wage garnishment
When a portion of someone's wages is taken by the government to pay off debts.
Charity care program
A hospital program that provides free or low-cost health services to people who cannot afford them.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how hospitals will be required to offer payment plans.
  • It is unclear what happens if a person's income changes after they have been offered a payment plan.

Amendments

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

SB0085.01.INTR.AMS08

Committee Introduced Senate Bill (S) • Senator Fady Qaddoura

Filed

Plain English: The amendment proposes to add a new section to the Indiana Code that would address health care debt.

  • Adds a new section to the Indiana Code concerning health care debt.
  • The official text does not provide specific details about what changes will be made regarding health care debt, so it is unclear exactly how this amendment will affect existing laws.
SB0085.01.INTR.AMS09

Committee Introduced Senate Bill (S) • Senator Ed Charbonneau

Filed

Plain English: The amendment adds a new section to the Indiana Code that allows certain individuals to be exempt from Medicaid expense requirements.

  • Adds a new section to the Indiana Code allowing specific individuals to be exempt from Medicaid expenses.
  • The official text does not specify which individuals are eligible for this exemption or what types of Medicaid expenses would be covered under this amendment, making it unclear how broadly this will apply.
SB0085.02.COMS.AMS001

Filed Senate Bill (H) • Senator Aaron Freeman

Failed

Plain English: This amendment would add new requirements for health care providers to report certain information about patients with specific medical conditions.

  • Health care providers must report patient data related to specified medical conditions.
  • The exact details of what needs to be reported and how it will be used are not clear from the provided text.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-02 House

    First reading: referred to Committee on Public Health

  2. 2026-01-29 Senate

    Third reading: passed; Roll Call 135: yeas 33, nays 15

  3. 2026-01-29 Senate

    House sponsor: Representative McGuire

  4. 2026-01-29 Senate

    Cosponsor: Representative Goss-Reaves

  5. 2026-01-29 Senate

    Senator Ford J.D. added as coauthor

  6. 2026-01-29 Senate

    Senator Goode added as coauthor

  7. 2026-01-29 Senate

    Senator Jackson L added as coauthor

  8. 2026-01-29 Senate

    Senator Spencer added as coauthor

  9. 2026-01-29 Senate

    Senator Taylor G added as coauthor

  10. 2026-01-29 Senate

    Senators Alting, Doriot added as coauthors

  11. 2026-01-29 Senate

    Senators Walker G, Walker K, Bohacek added as coauthors

  12. 2026-01-29 House

    Representative Barrett added as cosponsor

  13. 2026-01-29 House

    Representative Smaltz added as cosponsor

  14. 2026-01-29 Senate

    Referred to the House

  15. 2026-01-28 Senate

    Second reading: ordered engrossed

  16. 2026-01-28 Senate

    Senator Randolph added as coauthor

  17. 2026-01-22 Senate

    Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

  18. 2026-01-22 Senate

    Senator Deery added as coauthor

  19. 2026-01-08 Senate

    Senator Becker added as coauthor

  20. 2026-01-08 Senate

    Senator Yoder added as coauthor

  21. 2025-12-09 Senate

    Senator Charbonneau removed as second author

  22. 2025-12-09 Senate

    Senator Qaddoura removed as author

  23. 2025-12-09 Senate

    Senator Charbonneau added as author

  24. 2025-12-09 Senate

    Senator Qaddoura added as second author

  25. 2025-12-08 Senate

    Authored by Senators Qaddoura, Charbonneau

  26. 2025-12-08 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 care debt and costs.

Current Bill Text

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

Health care debt and costs.

Authorizes the attorney general to enforce provisions concerning health care debt wage garnishment and principal residence lien restrictions and establish a complaint process. Requires hospitals to do the following: (1) Offer a person who meets certain income guidelines and has received health services the opportunity to pay the charges through a payment plan that satisfies certain requirements. (2) Develop a written notice about a charity care program operated by the hospital, provide the notice to patients, and post the notice. (3) Include certain information concerning financial assistance on a billing statement. (4) Requires a hospital that reports an annual gross patient revenue of at least $20,000,000 to provide written notice and information to a person who has requested an eligibility determination concerning a payment plan or charity care. Provides that the unpaid earnings of a consumer who meets specified income eligibility requirements may not be attached by garnishment if an individual makes 200% of the federal income poverty level or less, and limits the amount to be garnished over a certain amount of the individual's disposable earnings in satisfaction of: (1) health care debt owed or alleged to be owed by the consumer; or (2) any amount of the judgment that represents health care debt determined to be owed by the consumer. Provides that: (1) health care debt owed or alleged to be owed by a consumer; or (2) in an action against a consumer in which a judgment has been entered, the amount of the judgment that represents health care debt determined to be owed by the consumer; does not constitute a lien against the consumer's principal residence for a consumer. Requires the disclosure of whether a debt is a health care debt in the execution of a judgment. Provides that in any action filed in Indiana for the recovery of health care debt owed or alleged to be owed by a consumer, the principal residence of the consumer is not liable to judgment or attachment or to be sold on execution against the consumer.