By Fatima Mirza
- A recent article in the New York Times highlighted the disparity in insurance coverage for mental health as opposed to other chronic disorders. Insurers have failed to pay for intense psychiatric care due to pervasive stigma and a lack of effective legislation relating to the topic.
- On Tuesday, an estimated 2.8 million people visited the federal HealthCare.gov site. The opening of the federal and state exchanges was marked by heavy internet traffic that spurred website problems and other glitches.
- 23andMe, a company that allows customers to test their own genes, has come under fire for patenting a DNA prediction service. After receiving the patent last week, critics have said that the “Family Traits Inheritance Calculator” could lead to “designer babies”.
- Bloomberg reported that an economist from Tsinghua University has devised a Green Tax in response to China’s poisoned air. Cao Jing argues that this model could be more effective than that of cap-and-trade adopted in the European Union.
- Massachusetts’ recently enacted medical marijuana law has raised a series of concerns after a wave of Internet companies have surfaced that promise to match patients with doctors that will prescribe cannabis. The MA Medical Society has questioned the quality and safety of care by these companies, some of which are run by entrepreneurs with no medical background.
- Small retailers have started catering to the fast-growing electronic cigarette market. Known as “vape shops”, the markups on related merchandise present a financially promising niche.
- An article published in Slate highlights the relationship between the health of a country and its wealth. Accordingly, the author argues that modest investments and adjustments to health policy could significantly curb the obesity crisis in the United States.
- A segment aired on Monday outlines the challenges that civil war poses on the health care system in Syria. Severe shortages in human and physical capital has left very few clinics operable.
