Healthcare

Allows an individual's spouse, legal guardian, friend, or relative to petition a court for involuntary substance use disorder treatment. Requires a petition to include certain information and allows a court to dismiss a petition, without prejudice, if it does not contain the required information. Requires the court to appoint a public defender if the individual subject to a petition seeking involuntary substance use disorder treatment is not represented by an attorney. Requires a court to order the individual to be evaluated by two medical providers, one of which must be a licensed physician, if the court finds that: (1) the individual has a substance use disorder; (2) because of the individual's substance use disorder, the individual is experiencing impaired judgment and is unable to independently maintain the individual's activities of daily living or is a danger to self or others; and (3) the individual refuses to voluntarily participate in substance use disorder treatment. Allows a court to order a local law enforcement agency to consider whether an individual meets the criteria for emergency detention under certain circumstances. Requires a medical provider who completes an evaluation concerning an individual's need for substance use disorder treatment to submit the evaluation to the court. Specifies that after receiving an evaluation from a medical provider, the court may dismiss the petition or set a hearing for further evidence to be presented about the individual's need for substance use disorder treatment. Requires a court to order involuntary substance use disorder treatment for a period of between 60 and 360 days if medical evidence supports that the individual requires immediate treatment for a substance use disorder and the individual has refused treatment. Requires the petitioner to pay all medical expenses that result from a respondent receiving court ordered involuntary substance use disorder treatment. Specifies that a respondent may be subject to contempt proceedings for a failure or refusal to comply with a court order issued in response to the petition for involuntary substance use disorder treatment.

Sets forth additional requirements for a nonprofit hospital's community benefits plan (plan). Requires a nonprofit hospital to spend more under the nonprofit hospital's plan than the nonprofit hospital's estimated tax exemption value. Allows the Indiana department of health (state department) to enforce compliance with the plan requirements. Sets forth additional reporting requirements for a nonprofit hospital's annual plan report (report). Requires the state department to review the report for compliance and to verify certain reported expenditure data. Allows for the assessment of a penalty for violations.

Provides that 10% of the excess property tax proceeds collected in an allocation area must be allocated among school corporations, libraries, and taxing units that provide police services, fire protection, emergency medical service, or public safety services in the allocation area.

Requires the state health commissioner to establish a work group to study methods of reducing and preventing health facility resident neglect and submit a report to the general assembly. Requires a health facility to do the following: (1) Designate at least one employee to act as a family advocacy liaison. (2) Establish an independent third party review process for written resident or other individual complaints alleging neglect of a resident. (3) Offer grief support to the family of a deceased resident. Prohibits a health facility from taking retaliatory action against an employee because the employee: (1) discloses actions or practices by the health facility that the employee reasonably believes violate state or federal law; (2) provides information or testifies in investigations or hearings; or (3) assists or participates in proceedings to enforce state law. Urges the legislative council to assign to an appropriate interim committee during the 2026 interim the study of requiring health facilities to meet certain staff-to-patient ratios.

Requires a state employee health plan, a policy of accident and sickness insurance, and a health maintenance organization contract to: (1) grant an exception to a step therapy protocol for a prescription drug prescribed for the treatment of postpartum depression that is not indicated by the federal Food and Drug Administration for postpartum depression on the prescription drug's approved labeling; (2) provide coverage for biomarker testing for preeclampsia, doula services, mental health screenings, and treatment for maternal mental health; and (3) develop a maternal mental health program. Requires Medicaid pregnancy services to include reimbursement for doula services and biomarker testing for preeclampsia. Requires the division of mental health and addiction to develop and implement a program for pregnant women and children with a substance use disorder. Requires the office of women's health to: (1) develop, maintain, and disseminate certain information concerning resources that are available to pregnant women and new mothers; and (2) provide continuing education courses concerning postpartum depression and other related mental health disorders. Requires a hospital or birthing center to, before a patient's discharge from the hospital or birthing center following birth, providethe patient with information concerning postpartum depression and other related mental health disorders. Sets forth requirements for screening for preeclampsia using biomarker testing. Establishes the Hoosier family leave insurance program and the Hoosier family leave insurance trust fund. Prohibits an employer from discriminating against an employee who has a condition related to pregnancy or childbirth. Repeals a chapter regarding pregnancy and childbirth accommodation. Requires certain health care practitioners to screen caregivers for signs and symptoms of postpartum depression or other related mental health disorders and provide a referral for the caregiver if the screening is positive for a mental health disorder.

Prohibits a health care provider from refusing to provide necessary care solely on the basis of health care debt owed or alleged to be owed by the consumer to the health care provider for health care services, products, or devices provided by the health care provider to the consumer or to a minor or an incapacitated individual who is under the responsibility of the consumer. Provides that a person that violates this prohibition commits a deceptive act that is actionable under the Indiana statute concerning deceptive consumer sales by the attorney general only.

Provides that a taxpayer who is covered by a health insurance plan may deduct from the taxpayer's adjusted gross income an amount equal to the total amount of premiums on the health insurance plan the taxpayer paid for coverage during the taxable year.

Specifies that emergency medical services, including emergency ambulance services, are essential services in Indiana. Specifies that the provision of emergency medical services is an essential purpose of political subdivisions. Requires the county commissioners of each county to: (1) identify areas that are unserved by emergency ambulance services; and (2) provide emergency ambulance services to those areas by establishing a county emergency ambulance service, contracting with a public, private, or nonprofit provider of emergency ambulance services, or by any other available means. Allows a governing body to opt out of the requirement to provide emergency ambulance services to unserved areas in certain cases. Provides that a county governing body that opts out of the provision of emergency ambulance services is immune from civil liability for personal injury or death resulting from a lack of emergency ambulance services in an area of the county.

Requires (rather than allows) the development of programs designed to increase Medicaid reimbursement. Specifies that the reimbursement rates for a state directed payment program must be at least the Medicare reimbursement rates. Requires the office of the secretary of family and social services to perform a reconciliation of the capitation attributable to the incremental hospital fee. Prohibits money in the incremental hospital fee fund from being used to fund Medicaid. Amends the permissible use of funds collected under the hospital assessment fee. Removes language that allowed the hospital assessment fee to be used to fund a state directed payment program that depended upon the collection of the managed care assessment fee. Changes the definition of "prices" concerning the hospital statewide average rate study and pricing (study). Amends the requirements to conduct the study and the date by which the study must be completed.

Prohibits a health care provider from reporting or furnishing to a consumer reporting agency any information related to health care debt owed or alleged to be owed by a consumer who resides in Indiana. Requires a health care provider to include in any contract entered into with a third party furnisher a provision that prohibits the reporting or furnishing to a consumer reporting agency any information related to health care debt owed or alleged to be owed by a consumer, including information concerning any delinquent account action taken with respect to health care debt. Prohibits a consumer reporting agency from recording or retaining in the file of a consumer any information that is: (1) related to health care debt incurred or alleged to be incurred by the consumer; and (2) reported to the consumer reporting agency after June 30, 2026. Provides that if a consumer reporting agency receives a request from a consumer to delete any record of health care debt maintained in the file of the consumer, the consumer reporting agency shall, not later than five business days after receiving the request, take all lawful and reasonable actions to delete from the consumer's file the record of the health care debt, regardless of when the health care debt was reported to the consumer reporting agency. Provides that a person who violates the provisions of this act commits a deceptive act.