2026 Legislative Session
IHA and its members stood united during the 2026 legislative session to achieve the following successes while advocating for Indiana hospitals and the patients they serve:
Workforce
Protected Health Care Workers
Advanced stronger criminal penalties for battery against all health care workers, reinforcing that workplace violence has no place in health care.
Payor Reforms
Reduced Barriers to Care and Payment
Prohibited insurers from penalizing hospitals and providers when patient care involves an out‑of‑network provider—making Indiana the first state to take this step to strengthen accountability for insurer practices that delay care and complicate the patient experience.
Limited payor downcoding practices and prevented retroactive reimbursement reductions tied to CPT codes.
Shortened the timeline for payors to recoup payments from 2 years to no more than 180 days from the time of payment (unless a hospital and payor agree to a different term).
Community Impact
Defended Nonprofit Hospitals
Stopped proposals to narrow the definition of community benefit or impose burdensome new reporting requirements.
Preserved nonprofit hospitals’ ability to reinvest in patient care, workforce, and community health.
Affordability
Advanced a Balanced Approach
Shaped a reasonable approach to medical debt policy that improves transparency around financial assistance and payment plan options while recognizing the realities of delivering care.
Protected hospitals’ and patients’ ability to create payment plans that allow patients to make payments they can afford.
Access to Care
Medicaid Stability & HAF
While legislation to establish guardrails ensuring HAF (Hospital Assessment Fee) dollars are used as intended—to support hospital Medicaid reimbursement rates and protect access to care; not fund Medicaid generally—did not advance this session, IHA will continue prioritizing this issue throughout the interim, reinforcing the importance of Medicaid stability for hospitals as policymakers prepare for the 2027 budget session.
Federal Policy & Advocacy
IHA’s federal public policy agenda is crafted to strengthen our members' ability to deliver high-quality care to all Hoosiers. Our active engagement gives members a significant voice in the federal policymaking process.
Our efforts align with the American Hospital Association’s policy agenda and are founded on principles that have shaped our public policy development for decades. These principles include:
