TOP - J. Elizabeth Struble, MD, presented Rep. Brad Barrett, MD,      with the ISMA Lifetime Achievement Award.     BOTTOM - Immediate Past President Ryan Singerman, DO, FAAFP,     presents Sen. Scott Baldwin with the Legislator of the Year Award.

The Indiana State Medical Association (ISMA) honored two state legislators at its annual convention Sunday, Sept. 27.

Indiana Representative Brad Barrett, MD, (R-Richmond) was awarded the ISMA Lifetime Achievement Award. The only physician in the Indiana House of Representatives, Dr. Barrett, Chair of the House Public Health Committee, will be retiring from the Statehouse at the end of this year. Dr. Barrett has championed physicians since he assumed a House of Representatives seat in 2018. He was also named Legislator of the Year by ISMA in 2023.

As chief surgeon at Reid Hospital and president and owner of General Surgeons in Richmond before running for office, Dr. Barrett has had a major impact in shielding Indiana physicians and patients from scope creep, prior authorization, downcoding, and employment restrictions, including physician noncompete clauses. Dr. Barrett’s perspective as a physician helped shape many bills into their final versions with physicians' and patients' perspectives in mind. Dr. Barrett also authored bills addressing licensing standards for rural emergency hospitals and do-not-resuscitate orders.

“I have a lot of pride in my last 8 years of working there,” Dr. Brad Barrett said. “You have to advocate for your profession. I don’t care if it is in the building that you work in or on a grander scale. We have to advocate for this profession. There is great effort to downgrade what we do, which is a lifetime commitment. It’s the greatest profession in the world. Thank you for this award. It was the easiest thing I ever did.”

Sen. Scott Baldwin (R-Noblesville) was named Legislator of the Year for 2026. ISMA honors one member of the General Assembly for their work to improve health care in Indiana every year.

“I’m grateful for the recognition, but even more appreciative of the physicians across Indiana who take time away from their practices and families to help us understand what is happening on the front lines of health care,” Sen. Baldwin said. “This year, I authored Senate Enrolled Act 189 to address practices that were placing inappropriate financial pressure on physicians and other health care providers. I’m proud of what we accomplished, but good public policy is always a team effort.”

Indiana has become the first state in the nation to pass bipartisan legislation protecting patient access to timely, medically necessary care by prohibiting insurance companies from imposing financial penalties on hospitals and facilities when a patient’s care involves an out-of-network provider. Sen. Baldwin authored the bill that made this possible.

“The legislation was a critical step toward protecting patient access to high-quality care and curbing unfair insurer practices within Indiana’s health care system, where Elevance, including its Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield plan, controls 68% of Indiana’s commercial insurance market,” said Chair of the Commission on Legislation J. Elizabeth Struble, MD. “The policy could have led to unintended consequences, including delayed care, increased travel burdens for patients, and the loss of critical services hospitals can provide.” 

The measure came as Elevance (formerly known as Anthem) implemented its “Facility Administrative Policy: Use of a Nonparticipating Care Provider” in Indiana on Jan. 1, 2026. Under the policy, hospitals and other outpatient facilities faced a 10% reimbursement cut if any out-of-network clinician participated in care. Without similar legislative action, 10 other states - Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio and Wisconsin - remain subject to the Elevance policy, with other payers following suit.