Health Headlines for Monday, May 23

Insurance industry not to blame for medical costs

Albany Business Review

In 2008, when the price of oil peaked at more than $145 per barrel, Americans were outraged.

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Older Men Are Still Being Overtested for Prostate Cancer

New York Times

A 79-year-old man came to see Dr. Jesse Sammon at the urology clinic at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit the other day.

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Drug deaths skyrocket: State health dept. report

Lohud/Journal News

The number of opioid-related deaths rose 47 percent in New York between 2010 and 2014, fueled by a surge in heroin abuse, state records show.

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Proposal to Reduce Medicare Drug Payments Is Widely Criticized

New York Times

An Obama administration proposal to reduce Medicare payments for many prescription drugs has run into sharp bipartisan criticism, suggesting that it is easier to diagnose the problem of high prices than to solve it.

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New York Senators Push for Federal Funding to Fight Zika Virus Ahead of Mosquito Season

Time Warner Cable News

As mosquito season approaches, New York’s senators are urging colleagues in Congress to pass emergency funding to fight the spread of the Zika virus.

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On low-level crime, Albany swaps arrests for treatment

Capital New York

Last month, security at an Albany store caught a man in his forties trying to shoplift a blender and other kitchen appliances valued at almost $300.

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Opioid Prescriptions Drop for First Time in Two Decades

New York Times

After years of relentless growth, the number of opioid prescriptions in the United States is finally falling, the first sustained drop since OxyContin hit the market in 1996.

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