SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3133  

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 4, 2023

      The Senate Commerce Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 3133.

      As amended, the bill provides that any network agreement between a carrier, or the carrier’s contracted vendor, and a health care provider for the provision of health or dental care services is prohibited from mandating only one form of payment to the health care provider.  A carrier, or the carrier’s vendor, is also prohibited from restricting the method of payment to an out-of-network health care provider providing out-of-network covered services to only one form of payment.

      The bill also requires a carrier, or the carrier’s contracted vendor, to provide certain information to a health care provider, prior to initiating its first payment to the health care provider, where one of the available payment methods includes a fee and before changing the available payment methods.  The bill prohibits a carrier from using a health care provider’s preferred method of payment as a factor when deciding whether to provide credentials to a health care provider.

As amended and reported, Senate Bill No. 3133 is identical to Assembly Bill No. 4913 (2R), as also reported by the committee on this date.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS

      The committee amended the bill to replace the language in the bill with new provisions concerning the method and manner of payment for reimbursement by carriers, or a carrier’s contracted vendor, to health care providers.