relative to surprise medical bills.

This bill prohibits healthcare providers from charging patients more than their insurance plan requires for emergency services and certain non-emergency care received at participating facilities. It specifically bans balance billing when a patient receives emergency treatment at an out-of-network hospital or sees an out-of-network doctor, ensuring patients only pay their standard copay or deductible. For non-emergency services at in-network hospitals, the ban applies unless the provider follows specific notice and consent rules to inform the patient about costs beforehand. The legislation also establishes a dispute resolution process to determine fair payment amounts when providers and insurers disagree on costs and adds balance billing violations to the list of unlawful acts under state consumer protection laws.