HB 1335 changesNonprofit hospitals.

What changed

+287 / −246 words · LargeConfidence: high

This amended version of HB 1335 fundamentally restructures Indiana's regulatory framework for nonprofit hospitals by eliminating most charity care and financial assistance disclosure requirements while introducing new clinical training definitions. The bill removes statutory definitions of 'financially indigent' and 'medically indigent,' deletes requirements for hospitals to provide written notice of payment assistance programs at registration, discharge, and billing, eliminates multilingual signage requirements in emergency departments, and removes the entire chapter on payment assistance program disclosures that was scheduled to take effect in 2026. The bill also eliminates annual community benefits reporting requirements and associated civil penalty provisions (previously up to $1,000 per violation). In their place, the amended bill adds new definitions for 'clinical department' and 'preceptor' related to supervised clinical training programs, representing a shift from patient financial protection toward healthcare workforce development. The changes substantially reduce transparency and notification obligations for nonprofit hospitals regarding available financial assistance.

Change log

• SECTION 11 > (2)

  removedhigh confidence

  Section header '(2) Eligibility criteria' removed

  This section header was deleted entirely. The text '(2) Eligibility criteria.' no longer appears in the bill. This is a structural change that may relate to reorganization of eligibility provisions.

• SECTION 1 > (1)

  removedhigh confidence

  Removed reference to hospital classification of financially or medically indigent persons

  This section previously specified that certain provisions applied to persons classified by hospitals as financially indigent or medically indigent on an inpatient or outpatient basis. The entire provision has been removed. Without seeing the surrounding context, this removal eliminates a specific category of persons to whom particular requirements or benefits applied.

• SECTION 1 > (2)

  removedhigh confidence

  Removed provision allowing charity care delivery through other nonprofit or public facilities

  This section previously permitted nonprofit hospitals to provide charity care to financially indigent patients through other nonprofit or public outpatient clinics, hospitals, or health care organizations. The entire provision has been deleted, eliminating this alternative delivery mechanism for charity care obligations.

• SECTION 1 > (b)

  removedhigh confidence

  Definition of 'financially indigent' eliminated