All Sauce from Weekly Sauce:

Severe COVID can inflict heavy physical damage on patients, but many recovering from their infection also take a financial hit, a new study finds. Up to 10% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are billed $2,000 or more six months after leaving the hospital, even when insurance providers waive their charges, researchers report. “Bills for post-discharge…  read on >  read on >

Uninsured Americans will no longer be covered for free COVID-19 tests and treatments because of the budget impasse in Congress, a Biden administration official said Tuesday. The program was to stop accepting claims at midnight Tuesday, according to Martin Kramer, a spokesman for the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Associated Press reported. “The lack…  read on >  read on >

Science is moving closer to a male contraceptive pill, and human clinical trials of a non-hormonal version could begin later this year, researchers say. The experimental contraceptive works in mice, according to a preliminary study scheduled for presentation Wednesday at an American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting in San Diego. “Scientists have been trying for decades…  read on >  read on >

The more blazes firefighters battle, the higher their risk for a heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation (a-fib), a new study shows. “Clinicians who care for firefighters need to be aware of the increased cardiovascular risk, especially the increased risk of a-fib, among this unique group of individuals,” said senior study author Dr. Paari Dominic.…  read on >  read on >