People in Indiana could save up to $2 billion dollars in health care costs if non-critical access, non-profit hospitals lower their prices to the national average, according to a new analysis by the Employers Forum of Indiana.

Indiana lawmakers have proposed numerous bills over the years aimed at lowering health care costs, with little success. This legislative session, however, a number of similar bills have sailed through the Senate and House chambers.

The Senate Health and Provider Services Committee passed two bills Wednesday, which aim to increase access to in-home health services and lower drug costs for consumers.

Eight states are following Massachusetts lead and trying to strike the right balance of slowing health care spending without causing too much pain to the industry.

Indiana's hospital leaders say that they have been operating in the red in 2022 due to inflation and rising labor costs. And they are worried that proposed legislation to address rising health care costs could push them deeper into financial stress.

Various studies show Indianas prices for health care and hospital care as some of the highest in the country. A listener in Angola was curious about the reasoning behind this.

When medical tests and procedures are overused, they not only raise medical costs. They can also lead to unneeded interventions and cause fear and anxiety over nothing.

A health clinic will offer medical services free of charge for uninsured and underinsured individuals starting Sunday in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium. The four-day event will offer dental care and specialized medical services, regardless of insurance status.

Indiana's legislative leaders sent a letter to the state's health care providers and insurers a few months ago. In it, they told them to act now to reduce health care costs or lawmakers will take steps to do so next year.

Indiana University Health said Thursday that it will hold prices flat for the next four years for all commercial payers -- the insurance companies that offer health plans, chiefly through employers.