"The amendment to HB 1004 made in the Senate Health and Provider Services Committee today sets an unprecedented price cap that is wrong for Indiana. The penalties on hospitals have been dramatically expanded to essentially create a full-blown price cap at an arbitrary percentage of Medicare.
IHA and our members have provided ideas throughout session on how to improve the bill and have committed to getting to national averages in pricing. We have offered a solution to find the appropriate benchmark for Indiana instead of a number pushed by radical outside groups with a national agenda of price caps and public options.
We believe this unjustly targets hospitals and moves away from a holistic way of controlling overall health care costs. While hospital penalties increased, the penalty for insurance companies proposed by the House of Representatives was deleted. We believe there must be equal accountability for all health care stakeholders.
It should also be deeply concerning to all that there is a brazen targeting of just a handful of hospitals. Picking winners and losers is something that the Indiana General Assembly typically rejects.
It is past time to take a comprehensive look at the combined impact of all the health care bills in the 2023 legislative session and develop a thoughtful strategy for affordability, access, and quality. We stand committed to working with lawmakers to find the appropriate way to measure and achieve affordability for Hoosiers."
— Brian Tabor - President, Indiana Hospital Association
