Rep. Martin Carbaugh

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.

Requires an initiating party that submits a request for independent dispute resolution to provide written notice to the facility not later than three business days after submitting the request. Allows a health carrier to provide notice to an out of network provider and a facility if, during any 90 day period, an initiating party submits requests for independent dispute resolutions that, in the aggregate, include 25 or more qualified disputes. Provides that if a health carrier provides the notice, the health carrier, the out of network provider, and the facility shall engage in good faith efforts to negotiate a resolution. Prohibits a health carrier from assessing a facility or a provider an administrative fee or penalty related to the provision of care to an individual that involves an out of network provider. Provides that if a health carrier assesses a facility or a provider an administrative fee or penalty related to the provision of care to an individual that involves an out of network provider, the health carrier commits an unfair and deceptive act or practice in the business of insurance.

Amends good citizenship instruction requirements. Includes the Classic Learning Test in certain references to nationally recognized college entrance examinations. Requires a state educational institution (SEI) to accept the Classic Learning Test examination to the same extent the SEI accepts the ACT or SAT examination with respect to admission criteria. Requires the department of education to identify schools that allow students who are not enrolled in the school to take certain examinations at the school and present the information in a manner that can be conveniently and easily accessed from the department's website.

Allows a public agency to establish and maintain an electronic portal for submission of public records requests that: (1) incorporates CAPTCHA or an equivalent mechanism for ensuring that a requestor is a human; (2) requires verification of a requestor's physical address; (3) indicates to the public agency whether the requestor is a resident of Indiana; and (4) automatically tracks and reports submissions suspected to be automated or to have originated from known sources of phishing or data scraping. Provides that a public agency may deny a public record request if the request: (1) is made by a person that is a party to pending or ongoing litigation; and (2) is duplicative of a discovery request made by the person in the pending or ongoing litigation. Provides that: (1) a public agency may decline to respond to a public records request if the public agency suspects: (A) the request to be data scraping or phishing activity; or (B) that responding to the request electronically may: (i) expose the public agency's electronic systems or data to unauthorized access or alteration; or (ii) otherwise jeopardize the security of the public agency's electronic systems or data; and (2) if the public agency declines to respond to the request, the public agency must report: (A) the request; and (B) the public agency's reason for declining to respond to the request; to the public access counselor. Allows a public agency to collect a supplemental fee for processing public records requests submitted by non-Indiana residents or out-of-state entities. Allows a public agency to give priority in fulfilling public records requests to: (1) Indiana residents; and (2) requests submitted for civic, journalistic, academic, or personal use. Requires public agencies to report to the public access counselor regarding public records requests suspected of being automated, data scraping activity, or phishing activity (suspect public records requests). Provides that the general assembly may establish reasonable and narrowly tailored procedural safeguards to preserve the integrity and availability of public agency resources. Requires the public access counselor to: (1) take specified actions with regard to identifying excessive and suspect public records requests; and (2) include in the public access counselor's annual report: (A) information regarding the volume and nature of public records requests received by public agencies, including information regarding suspect public records requests reported by public agencies; and (B) recommendations to the general assembly regarding statutory or administrative remedies to excessive and suspect public records requests.

Revises and consolidates the definition of "crime of violence". Amends the definition of violent offender to mean a person who is convicted of an offense or attempted offense that is a crime of violence or a person who is charged with an offense or attempted offense that is a crime of violence. Amends the definition of "violent arrestee" to mean a person arrested for or charged with a crime of violence that is a Level 1 felony, Level 2 felony, Level 3 felony, Level 4 felony, or a Level 5 felony. Removes provisions concerning repeat violent arrestees. Amends the definition of "violent criminal" to mean a person convicted of a crime of violence. Adds: (1) dangerous possession of a firearm with two priors; and (2) unlawful carrying of a handgun with two priors; to the crimes of violence list. Makes a technical correction and conforming changes.

Requires a person or entity to furnish information relating to a fraudulent insurance act to the department of insurance or the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Provides that a person or entity is not subject to civil or criminal liability for filing a report or furnishing other information concerning a fraudulent insurance act under certain circumstances. Sets forth a fee schedule for providing unrestricted data to certain entities from the all payer claims data base. Makes various changes to: (1) provisions relating to notice of material change; and (2) the property and casualty insurance and guaranty association law. Allows the insurance commissioner to waive the requirements for a merger or consolidation of a farm mutual insurance company with any other company if an emergency event occurs. Provides that a policy of insurance that provides coverage in excess of any liability relating to a self-insured retention amount shall be considered a commercial umbrella or excess liability policy under the uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage provision. Requires an insurer of automobile insurance policies to mail a notice of nonrenewal at least 30 days before the expiration of the policy. Requires an insurer of residential policies to: (1) mail a notice of nonrenewal at least 60 days before the expiration of the policy; and (2) take certain actions when the insurer utilizes aerial images as part of the insurer's coverage determinations. Allows co-owners of a condominium that meets certain conditions to obtain property and casualty insurance coverage for the condominium units by purchasing a master policy or by allowing each co-owner to purchase insurance on an individual basis. Requires an insurer and a health maintenance organization to provide an insurance producer with access to a complete list of providers who have entered into a reimbursement agreement with the insurer or health maintenance organization. Provides that the prohibition on denying, conditioning, or discriminating in the pricing of Medicare supplement policies for certain applicants applies to an applicant who submits an application during the period beginning one month before the applicant's birthday and ending one month after the applicant's birthday. Provides that the insurance commissioner has the authority to take certain actions relating to the creation, implementation, or operation of a health benefit exchange. Requires the department of insurance to annually report information to the budget committee regarding the fee schedule for providing unrestricted data that is being added in the bill.

Requires a hospital to: (1) disclose information concerning payment assistance programs; (2) post signs concerning the programs in specified locations of the hospital; and (3) make information concerning the programs available to individuals through the hospital's patient portal. Requires a hospital to make a reasonable effort to notify individuals of available payment assistance programs before beginning a collection action against the individual. Prohibits the use of downcoding in a specified manner. Prohibits a provider from using an automated process, system, or tool to submit a health benefits claim without the review of a provider or other person involved in the development of the claim for submission. Prohibits an insurer that issues a policy of accident and sickness insurance (insurer) and a health maintenance organization from retroactively reducing the reimbursement rate for any CPT code. Sets forth limitations on the time frame in which an insurer and a health maintenance organization: (1) may request repayment of an overpayment, adjust a subsequent claim, recoup a paid claim, or retroactively audit a paid claim; and (2) is required to correct a payment error to a provider. Provides that if an insurer or a health maintenance organization recoups payment from a provider due to an error in coordination of benefits, the provider may submit a claim for the same services to the appropriate insurer or health maintenance organization.

Maddy summaryHB 1274 prevents insurance companies from requiring policyholders or potential customers to post or display "gun-free zone" notices on their property. This directly affects homeowners and renters who purchase insurance, as insurers can no longer mandate these specific signage requirements. The bill's key provision prohibits insurers from including such notice-posting as a condition for coverage or policy renewal. The bill passed the House on January 28, 2026, and is now under review by the Senate Committee on Insurance and Financial Institutions.

Prohibits a state employee health plan, a policy of accident and sickness insurance, and a health maintenance organization that provides coverage for advanced, metastatic cancer and associated conditions from requiring that, before providing coverage for a prescription drug, the insured fail to successfully respond to a different prescription drug or prove a history of failure of a different prescription drug.

Exempts a merger and acquisition broker from registering as a broker-dealer under certain circumstances. Requires an applicant seeking to register as an agent of a broker-dealer in Indiana to pass financial industry regulatory authority (FINRA) examinations unless certain exceptions apply. Requires an applicant seeking to register as an investment adviser representative in Indiana to pass FINRA examinations unless certain exceptions apply. Provides that under certain circumstances an agent of a broker-dealer or an investment adviser representative may have the validity of the individual's FINRA qualifying examinations extended. Requires an investment adviser representative to participate in a continuing education program.