Indiana 2025 Regular Session

Indiana Senate Bill SB0337 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	Introduced Version
3	3	SENATE BILL No. 337
4	4	_____
5	5	DIGEST OF INTRODUCED BILL
6	6	Citations Affected: IC 16-21-9-4.5; IC 16-22.
7	7	Synopsis: Hospital charity care. Specifies charity care that certain
8	8	nonprofit hospitals and county hospitals must provide concerning
9	9	patients.
10	10	Effective: July 1, 2025.
11	11	Qaddoura
12	12	January 13, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Health and Provider
13	13	Services.
14	14	2025 IN 337—LS 6896/DI 104 Introduced
15	15	First Regular Session of the 124th General Assembly (2025)
16	16	PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
17	17	Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type,
18	18	additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
19	19	Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional
20	20	provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the
21	21	word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds
22	22	a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
23	23	Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts
24	24	between statutes enacted by the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
25	25	SENATE BILL No. 337
26	26	A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning
27	27	health.
28	28	Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
29	29	1 SECTION 1. IC 16-21-9-4.5 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
30	30	2 AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY
31	31	3 1, 2025]: Sec. 4.5. (a) This section applies to the following:
32	32	4 (1) A nonprofit hospital that has an annual revenue of at least
33	33	5 twenty million dollars ($20,000,000).
34	34	6 (2) A county hospital organized or established under IC 16-22.
35	35	7 (3) A patient who is not covered under the Medicaid or the
36	36	8 Medicare program.
37	37	9 (b) A nonprofit hospital and a county hospital shall provide at
38	38	10 least the following charity care:
39	39	11 (1) For patients with a household income of not more than two
40	40	12 hundred percent (200%) of the federal poverty level, health
41	41	13 care treatment and services by the nonprofit hospital at no
42	42	14 cost.
43	43	15 (2) For patients with a household income greater than two
44	44	16 hundred percent (200%) of the federal poverty level but not
45	45	17 more than three hundred percent (300%) of the federal
46	46	2025 IN 337—LS 6896/DI 104 2
47	47	1 poverty level, an adjustment to the cost of the treatment and
48	48	2 services provided using the applicable Medicare
49	49	3 reimbursement rate applicable on the date of service, to equal
50	50	4 not more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the calculated
51	51	5 billing statement using the Medicare reimbursement rate.
52	52	6 (3) For patients with a household income greater than three
53	53	7 hundred percent (300%) of the federal poverty level but not
54	54	8 more than four hundred percent (400%) of the federal
55	55	9 poverty level, the adjustment described in subdivision (2) if
56	56	10 the patient's household has incurred medical expenses in the
57	57	11 previous twelve (12) months that total at least five percent
58	58	12 (5%) of the household's annual gross income.
59	59	13 (c) A nonprofit hospital and a county hospital shall determine
60	60	14 whether a patient is eligible for the charity care required under
61	61	15 this section.
62	62	16 SECTION 2. IC 16-22-3-13 IS AMENDED TO READ AS
63	63	17 FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 13. (a) The governing
64	64	18 board shall establish reasonable charges for patient care and other
65	65	19 hospital services for the residents of the county and may provide
66	66	20 patient care and other hospital services to nonresidents of the county
67	67	21 upon terms and conditions the board establishes by rule.
68	68	22 (b) The governing board may give appropriate discounts of charges
69	69	23 to patients, including the charity care required by IC 16-21-9-4.5.
70	70	24 (c) In establishing charges, the governing board may include a
71	71	25 reasonable charge for depreciation and obsolescence of property, plant,
72	72	26 and equipment.
73	73	27 (d) The board may periodically transfer all or part of the charges for
74	74	28 depreciation and obsolescence to a fund to be used by and at the
75	75	29 discretion of the board only for the purpose of building, remodeling,
76	76	30 repairing, replacing, or making additions to the hospital building or
77	77	31 buildings. However, in any year in which there is a tax levy for the
78	78	32 general operation and maintenance of the hospital, the board shall not
79	79	33 make a transfer to the fund. In an emergency, the board may borrow
80	80	34 from the fund for the operating fund of the hospital and shall reimburse
81	81	35 the fund within two (2) years.
82	82	36 (e) The authority granted to establish the fund does not limit the
83	83	37 power and authority of the board, the county executive, the county
84	84	38 fiscal body, or other units of government to finance hospital buildings
85	85	39 by other methods.
86	86	40 SECTION 3. IC 16-22-8-39 IS AMENDED TO READ AS
87	87	41 FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 39. (a) A hospital
88	88	42 owned, operated, or managed by the corporation shall be for the benefit
89	89	2025 IN 337—LS 6896/DI 104 3
90	90	1 of the residents of the county and of every person who becomes sick,
91	91	2 injured, or maimed within the county. The hospital is subject to the
92	92	3 charity care requirements in IC 16-21-9-4.5.
93	93	4 (b) A patient who is able to pay shall pay to the corporation a
94	94	5 reasonable compensation for medicine or hospital services according
95	95	6 to the rules prescribed by the board. The board or the board's
96	96	7 authorized representative may exclude from the hospital a person who
97	97	8 willfully violates the rules. On terms and conditions the board
98	98	9 prescribes, the corporation may:
99	99	10 (1) extend the privileges and use of the hospital, the corporation's
100	100	11 health care programs, and health care facilities to persons residing
101	101	12 outside of the county; and
102	102	13 (2) own or operate nursing facilities located inside or outside of
103	103	14 the county.
104	104	15 (c) There may not be discrimination against practitioners of any
105	105	16 school of medicine holding unlimited licenses to practice medicine
106	106	17 recognized in Indiana. The licensed practitioners are entitled to equal
107	107	18 privileges in treating patients in the hospital.
108	108	2025 IN 337—LS 6896/DI 104