The bill amends Florida Statutes to enhance patient awareness and financial protections regarding out-of-network healthcare services. It introduces a requirement for healthcare practitioners to provide written notification to patients when referring them to nonparticipating providers for nonemergency services. This notice must inform patients that the services will be provided on an out-of-network basis, potentially leading to additional cost-sharing responsibilities. Furthermore, failure to comply with this notification requirement may result in disciplinary action against the healthcare practitioner.

Additionally, the bill mandates that health insurers apply payments for services rendered by nonpreferred providers toward the insured's deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums, provided certain conditions are met. These conditions include the insured's request for such application, the service being covered under the policy, and the charges from the nonpreferred provider being equal to or less than the average charges from preferred providers or the statewide average. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.