SB 317 Indiana Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Health care debt and costs.

Summary
Requires hospitals to do the following: (1) Offer the person who 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 in satisfaction of: (1) any amount of 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) any amount of 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, any 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 that meets specified income requirements. 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.
Bill status in committee 2 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2025
Senate Failed
Feb 2025
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2025 Last action Feb 20, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Senate Bill (S) Senate Bill (S) · 7 edits
MODERATE
This bill was updated from an introduced version to a Senate Bill version with significant changes to its digest summary and sponsor list. The digest now reflects updated provisions about hospital billing practices, charity care eligibility, and consumer protections. The sponsor list was expanded to include additional legislators, and the bill's effective date was set to July 1, 2025.
Scope change
The scope remains focused on hospital billing practices and financial disclosures, but the digest summary was updated to reflect new requirements about financial assistance information on billing statements and eligibility determination procedures.
REQUIREMENT

Digest summary updated to include new requirement for hospitals to include financial assistance information on billing statements

Digest summary updated to clarify that hospitals must provide written notice and information to patients who request eligibility determination for payment plans or charity care

ELIGIBILITY

Digest summary updated to specify that garnishment protections apply to consumers meeting specified income eligibility requirements

Digest summary updated to specify that lien protections apply to consumers meeting specified income requirements

TECHNICAL

Sponsor list expanded from Qaddoura and Charbonneau to include Yoder, Ford J.D., Jackson L, Becker, and Deery

Digest citation references updated from specific IC sections to broader chapter references (IC 16-18, IC 16-21, IC 24-4.5, IC 32-28, IC 34-55)

TIMELINE

Bill status updated from 'Introduced' to 'amended, reported favorably - Do Pass' with date February 13, 2025

Floor votes · Senate Feb 20, 2025

How they voted

2326
Failed · 1 other
Total votes 50
Feb 20, 2025
D Democratic10
9 Yea 1
90% Yea
R Republican40
14 Yea 26 Nay
65% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
11
Key actions
1
Committee
1
Feb 20, 2025
Vote failed
Senate Vote: fail (23-26-1)
senate
Feb 13, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report: amend do pass, adopted
upper
2 primary · 6 co-sponsors

Sponsors