Healing by picking up orbs definitely works if you have gear equipped with that perk. I had Mask of the Third Man on and my health would regen to full on picking up a single orb. You can't pick up orbs if your super is full or you're using your super, so I kept having to burn mine just to be able to pick up an orb.
If this is true then the Infusion perk on Apotheosis Veil is useless as a Sunsinger. Burning your super fully regens your health anyway and doing it just to be able to pick up an orb is daft. It has to be a bug, surely?