Throughout August, The Texas Tribune will feature 31 ways Texans’ lives will change because of new laws that take effect Sept. 1. Check out our story calendar for more.

Patients with health insurance can still suffer sticker shock when the bill comes from a hospital visit. That’s because even an in-network hospital can contract with out-of-network doctors — physicians whose charges aren’t fully covered by a patient’s insurance.

A new law that takes effect Sept. 1 will allow more consumers to challenge so-called “balance bills” they get from an out-of-network doctor, but only if the charge is more than $500.

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