Updated September 4, 2026. Quick answer: Indiana requires nonprofit hospitals to post specific charity-care notices in patient-facing areas and file an annual public report, backed by a $1,000-a-day penalty for not filing.
This guide is limited to the cited Indiana community-benefits source and its stated scope.
What changes in Indiana
- Each nonprofit hospital must develop a written notice about its charity-care program and how to apply for it, and post it in the general waiting area, the emergency-services waiting area, and the business office.
- The hospital must also post a statement that its annual community benefits plan report is public information, filed with the state health department, and available to the public on request.
- The state department may assess a civil penalty of up to $1,000 for each day a hospital’s community benefits report is delinquent, after 30 business days’ written notice of the failure to file.
Where this rule stops
The law mandates the notice, posting, and reporting duties. A 2025 bill that would have added a statewide numeric FPL eligibility scale died before enactment, so Indiana has no binding state income-percentage threshold, and hospitals set their own eligibility criteria within the state’s definitional framework.
How to verify before you apply
- Identify the hospital or facility covered by the source and obtain its current policy.
- Ask for the current written policy and application instructions.
- Compare the policy with the official source below before relying on any threshold, discount, or deadline.
Related hospital-assistance guides
Primary source
Read Ind. Code § 16-21-9-7, § 16-21-9-8. Verify the current official text and the facility’s current policy before acting; this is a source-backed planning guide, not individualized legal advice.