prohibit the assessment of certain administrative fees or penalties related to the provision of care by an out-of-network provider.

SB 233 prohibits health insurance carriers from charging administrative fees or penalties to healthcare providers for care involving out-of-network providers. This directly affects health care providers who treat patients using out-of-network services and health carriers that typically impose such fees. The bill’s key provision bans carriers from assessing these fees for any care provided by a provider not contracted with the carrier (defined as "out-of-network"). It creates a clear policy change requiring carriers to cover such care without additional administrative costs to providers.