Health Headlines for Thursday, March 24

One of New York’s largest health insurers on verge of expansion

Albany Business Review

One of New York’s largest health insurers, which has doubled its Albany workforce to more than 260 employees over the past two years, appears to be on the verge of another expansion in the region.

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Social workers urge N.Y. to require licenses for its mental health providers

Albany Times Union

If you are being treated for depression or bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, private health insurance will cover it only if your mental health practitioner is licensed.

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Justices Seem Split in Case on Birth Control Mandate

New York Times

The Supreme Court weighed moral theology and parsed insurance terminology on Wednesday in an extended and animated argument that seemed to leave the justices sharply divided over what the government may do to require employers to provide free insurance coverage for contraception to female workers.

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U.S. Should Follow Canada’s Lead on Heroin Treatment

New York Times

The crisis that led officials in Ithaca, N.Y., to consider opening a supervised-injection center for heroin users, part of what the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called a national epidemic of overdose deaths, is sadly familiar to us here.

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AstraZeneca Says Its Blood Thinner No Better Than Aspirin in Stroke Trial

Wall Street Journal

AstraZeneca PLC said its prescription blood thinner Brilinta was no more effective than aspirin at preventing major heart problems in stroke patients, denting the company’s growth ambitions for one of its key drugs.

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Regular Marijuana Use Linked to Economic and Social Problems

Newsweek

People who smoke marijuana on a regular basis for years and those who are dependent on it are significantly more likely to have economic and social problems at midlife than those who use it only occasionally or not at all, new research shows.

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