IN SB0225

Hospitals may not pursue medical debt collection unless in compliance with state charity care, financial assistance, and pricing transparency requirements; the Indiana Department of Health must conduct semiannual compliance reviews and notify the attorney general of noncompliant hospitals

The attorney general may suspend a noncompliant hospital's authority to collect medical debt and impose civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation; individuals may use hospital noncompliance as an affirmative defense in debt collection actions

Individuals harmed by violations may sue for actual damages, statutory damages up to $1,000, and injunctive relief

Hospitals must provide 60 days written notice to the state department before closing a facility or eliminating service lines (emergency, obstetrics, neonatal, trauma, behavioral health) for longer than 90 days; violations subject to civil penalties up to $10,000

Removes requirement that physicians performing surgery at ambulatory outpatient surgical centers must have privileges at a hospital within the same or adjacent county; effective July 1, 2026