FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Paige Gehlhausen, Press Secretary
Paige.Gehlhausen@iga.in.gov
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Brown: Bill to reform health care in Indiana moves to governor's desk
STATEHOUSE (Feb. 29, 2024) – A bill authored by State Sen. Liz Brown (R-Fort Wayne) that would introduce various changes to health care in Indiana passed the General Assembly and will now move to the governor's desk for his consideration.
Brown's legislation, dubbed Increasing Access to Care for Hoosiers Everywhere 2.0, would introduce various changes to insurance and health care administration with three goals: improve access to health care services, increase transparency and accountability into health care services, and reduce overall health regulations.
Improve access to health care
· Senate Enrolled Act 132 would authorize the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) to implement a risk-based managed care program for certain eligible Medicaid recipients;
· Establish a temporary emergency financial assistance program within the first seven months for providers that experience financial emergencies due to claims payment issues; and
· Increase the pathways for foreign nurses to demonstrate English proficiency for licensure.
Increase transparency and accountability in health care
· SEA 132 would prevent insurance companies from setting fees for dental services unless they are covered under the dental insurance plan;
· Prevent dental insurance carriers from allowing third-party access to a provider network contract unless certain conditions are met;
· Prohibit dental insurance carriers from retaliating should a dental service provider opt to not participate in third-party access; and
· Authorize the insurance commissioner to issue a cease-and-desist order for any violations of these prohibitions and to impose a civil penalty upon any entity not complying with the cease-and-desist order.
Reduce health care regulations
· SEA 132 would expedite the payment process for dental services by allowing the insurance company to pay a benefit directly to a dental service provider, rather than having to send the benefit to the covered individual who must pass it on to the dental service provider;
· Eliminate the requirement that a health facility administrator must display their license in a prominent location in their office;
· Eliminate the issuance of provisional residential care administrator licenses;
· Change a particular specialized course for health facility administrators from a mandatory requirement to an optional requirement; and
· Eliminate the requirement that a licensed telehealth provider located outside of Indiana who provides services to Hoosier patients file a waiver of jurisdiction certification.
"This bill aims to improve access, increase transparency, hold providers accountable and reduce regulations in the health care sector," Brown said. "Last year, I authored a bill and labeled it Increasing Access to Care for Hoosiers Everywhere (I-ACHE) which was a crucial starting point in improving health care. This year, Senate Enrolled Act 132, which I've termed I-ACHE 2.0, would further improve our health care system so that it can better serve all Hoosiers and health care providers. I am grateful to see Senate Enrolled Act 132 head to the governor's desk, but there is still work to be done and I look forward to making more progress in the future."
SEA 132 will now move to the governor's desk for final consideration. To track bills on the governor's desk, click here.
The Indiana General Assembly has until March 14 to complete legislative business during the 2024 legislative session. Agendas, vote tallies and proposed legislation can be viewed online by visiting iga.in.gov.
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State Sen. Liz Brown (R-Fort Wayne) represents Senate District 15,
which includes a portion of Allen County.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
