---
type: "Bill"
title: "Health matters."
description: "Amends the definition of \"ambulatory outpatient surgical center\" to remove the requirement that a surgical procedure is permitted to be performed only by a physician, dentist, or podiatrist who has certain hospital privileges. Prohibits a hospital, debt collector, or other third party from pursuing medical debt collection if the hospital is noncompliant with specified statutes. Requires the Indiana department of health (state department) to determine on a semiannual basis whether a hospital is in compliance with the statutes and notify a hospital concerning the state department's compliance determination. Authorizes the attorney general to suspend the authority of a hospital to pursue medical debt collection when the state department has made a final determination that the hospital is noncompliant. Creates an affirmative defense for a debtor if the collection attempt occurred while the hospital was noncompliant. Requires a hospital to provide the state department with 60 days written notice if the hospital plans to: (1) close and permanently terminate all hospital operations; or (2) completely eliminate a service line for longer than 90 days. Allows for a waiver of the notification requirements in specified circumstances."
jurisdiction: "us/states/in"
legislature: "Indiana General Assembly"
session: "2026"
identifier: "SB 225"
citation: "Indiana SB 225 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["AGENCIES; Department of Health (IDOH)", "HEALTH CARE FACILITIES; Generally", "HEALTH CARE FACILITIES; Hospitals", "HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS; Dentistry", "HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS; Doctors and Physicians", "HEALTH; Billing and Costs", "STATE ELECTED OFFICIALS; Attorney General"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Brad Barrett", "Ed Charbonneau", "Fady Qaddoura", "Justin Busch"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 27
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2026-01-08"
last_action: "2026-03-05"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/9bc84603-5f81-4d54-b0aa-c19bb852a8db"
source_url: "https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/sb0225"
source_hash: "c28e9ab00b1f3136da9e67dd663ccee55aacf1cb706cd33f4917e561d72b4855"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-in"]
---

# Indiana SB 225 (2026) — Health matters.

Amends the definition of "ambulatory outpatient surgical center" to remove the requirement that a surgical procedure is permitted to be performed only by a physician, dentist, or podiatrist who has certain hospital privileges. Prohibits a hospital, debt collector, or other third party from pursuing medical debt collection if the hospital is noncompliant with specified statutes. Requires the Indiana department of health (state department) to determine on a semiannual basis whether a hospital is in compliance with the statutes and notify a hospital concerning the state department's compliance determination. Authorizes the attorney general to suspend the authority of a hospital to pursue medical debt collection when the state department has made a final determination that the hospital is noncompliant. Creates an affirmative defense for a debtor if the collection attempt occurred while the hospital was noncompliant. Requires a hospital to provide the state department with 60 days written notice if the hospital plans to: (1) close and permanently terminate all hospital operations; or (2) completely eliminate a service line for longer than 90 days. Allows for a waiver of the notification requirements in specified circumstances.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Engrossed Senate Bill (H)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2026/senate/bills/SB0225/SB0225.03.ENGS.pdf)
2. **Enrolled Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2026/senate/bills/SB0225/SB0225.06.ENRH.pdf)
3. **Introduced Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2026/senate/bills/SB0225/SB0225.01.INTR.pdf)
4. **Senate Bill (H)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2026/senate/bills/SB0225/SB0225.04.COMH.pdf)
5. **Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2026/senate/bills/SB0225/SB0225.05.COMH.pdf)

## Votes

- SB 225 - Busch — **49–0** (pass) · upper
- SB 225 - Busch - 3rd Reading — **43–1** (pass) · upper
- SB 225 - Barrett - 3rd Reading — **94–1** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Brad Barrett — primary (person)
- Ed Charbonneau — primary (person)
- Fady Qaddoura — primary (person)
- Justin Busch — primary (person)
- Joanna King — cosponsor (person)
- Julie McGuire — cosponsor (person)
- Martin Carbaugh — cosponsor (person)
- Shelli Yoder — coauthor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2026-01-08** Authored by Senator Busch
- **2026-01-08** First reading: referred to Committee on Health and Provider Services `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2026-01-12** Senator Charbonneau added as second author
- **2026-01-22** Committee report: amend do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2026-01-26** Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2026-01-26** Amendment #1 (Busch) prevailed; voice vote `amendment-passage`
- **2026-01-27** Senator Yoder added as coauthor
- **2026-01-27** Cosponsor: Representative Carbaugh
- **2026-01-27** Senator Qaddoura added as third author
- **2026-01-27** House sponsor: Representative Barrett
- **2026-01-27** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 111: yeas 43, nays 1 `passage, reading-3, reading-3`
- **2026-01-28** Referred to the House `referral`
- **2026-01-29** First reading: referred to Committee on Public Health `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2026-02-10** Recommitted to Committee on Ways and Means pursuant to House Rule 126.3
- **2026-02-10** Committee report: amend do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-17** Committee report: amend do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-19** Second reading: ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2026-02-23** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 307: yeas 94, nays 1 `passage, reading-3, reading-3`
- **2026-02-23** Representatives McGuire, King added as cosponsors
- **2026-02-24** Returned to the Senate with amendments `receipt`
- **2026-02-25** Motion to concur filed `filing`
- **2026-02-26** Senate concurred with House amendments; Roll Call 300: yeas 49, nays 0
- **2026-02-27** Signed by the President of the Senate `passage`
- **2026-03-05** Signed by the Governor `executive-signature`
- **2026-02-27** Signed by the President Pro Tempore `passage`
- **2026-03-05** Public Law 124 `became-law`
- **2026-02-27** Signed by the Speaker `passage`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/9bc84603-5f81-4d54-b0aa-c19bb852a8db`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Indiana legislature records).