Massachusetts Considers Medical Marijuana Insurance Coverage Bill – InsuranceNewsNet

InsuranceNewsNet — Your Industry. One Source.™

Sign in
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Home Now reading Top Stories
Topics
    • Life Insurance
    • Annuity News
    • Health/Employee Benefits
    • Property and Casualty
    • Advisor News
    • Washington Wire
    • Regulation News
    • Sponsored Content
    • Webinars
    • Monthly Focus
  • INN Exclusives
  • NewsWires
  • Magazine
  • Free Newsletters
Sign in or register to be an INNsider.
  • INN Exclusives
  • NewsWires
  • Magazine
  • Free Newsletters
  • Insider
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Staff
  • Contact
  • Newsletters

Get Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Health/Employee Benefits News
Top Stories RSS Get our newsletter
Order Prints
November 10, 2021 Top Stories No comments
Share
Share
Tweet
Email

Massachusetts Considers Medical Marijuana Insurance Coverage Bill

Medical marijuana would be covered by health insurance under a bill in Massachusetts.
Boston Herald (MA)
Nov. 10—Medical marijuana, used to treat everything from chronic pain to Parkinson's Disease to PTSD, is still not covered by medical insurance, a cost some say is prohibitively expensive to those who rely on the drug."Cannabis is medicine, it's indisputable," Dr. Ryan Zacklin, who works in the MassGeneral Brigham network, said at a Beacon Hill hearing. "Medication, it's all covered by insurance. There's no reason for this not to be."

A bill filed by state Rep. David LeBoeuf, D-Worcester, in the House and Sens. Julian Cyr, D-Truro and Jason Lewis, D-Winchester, would legalize health insurance coverage for medical marijuana products and related clinical visits.

Zacklin said in the Joint Committee on Financial Services hearing that patients, who pay an annual fee for the medication, don't come to him for marijuana. Instead, "they come to me for pain, they come to me for anxiety, they come to me for insomnia, and this is a part of what I do," he said. He added that cost is among the biggest barriers to treatment he sees in his practice.

One estimate on PriceofWeed.com put Massachusetts's costs well above the national average: an ounce of "medium-quality" bud costs $282 in the Bay State, while nationally, that price would be $256.

Because cannabis is still considered a Schedule I drug by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and not yet FDA approved, Massachusetts does not allow health insurers to pay for medical marijuana. The Supreme Judicial Court reaffirmed that decision in Massachusetts last year, as CommonWealth Magazine reported.

A spokesperson for the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans said in a statement that health insurers cover one cannabis-derived drug, Epidiolex, a seizure drug. Insurers also cover three synthetic cannabis-related drug products which treat nausea and anorexia: Marinol, Syndros, and Cesamet.

"The FDA plays an important role in supporting scientific research on various drugs to assess their medical efficacy, the appropriate dosage, determine the best route of administration, and test for possible drug interactions," MAHP said in a statement. "Because medical marijuana is not yet FDA approved, Massachusetts health plans do not offer coverage."

Several patients who rely on medical marijuana for chronic conditions testified Tuesday, arguing that the cost can prevent them from this essential treatment.

Jennifer Van, 42, suffers from several chronic conditions including ulcerative colitis, anxiety, PTSD and endometriosis, and also survived cancer. She said she takes at least 15 medications per day, including two opiates and three controlled substances.

"I could replace at least eight of my medications for medical cannabis and get rid of them completely if I could afford it, or if my health insurance covered it. However, I cannot," she said. "They will pay for high-dose opiates or controlled substances, but they will not pay for the medical cannabis."

___

(c)2021 the Boston Herald

Visit the Boston Herald at www.bostonherald.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Older

GWG HOLDINGS, INC. – 10-Q – MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

Newer

mPulse Mobile Celebrates Health Equity and Innovation in Outcomes with its Fourth Annual Activate2021 Awards

Advisor News

  • Retirement Savers Remain Confident Despite Short-Term Woes
  • City of Memphis Helps Employees With Financial Wellness Programs
  • IRI CEO: ‘I Am Optimistic for Our Industry’s Future’
  • 2/3 Of Near-Retirees Failed Or Barely Passed A Basic Social Security Quiz
  • Crypto As National Currency? Maybe Not A Good Idea
More Advisor News

Annuity News

  • LibertyMark Freedom Fixed Indexed Annuities Launch
  • Nationwide Adds BNP Paribas Global H-Factor Index To FIA
  • Transamerica Launches Structured Index Advantage Annuity
  • Recommending FIAs: Start With The Client’s Objective
  • NC Man Wins First $5 Million Prize In Scratch-Off Game
Sponsor
More Annuity News

Health/Employee Benefits News

  • EBRI Studies Expanding Pre-Deductible Coverage For Chronic Conditions
  • Most Consumers Choose To Pay Higher LTCi Premiums
  • CMS Creates More User-Friendly Medicare Website
  • Integrity Marketing Group Buys Ritter Insurance Marketing
  • Maine Powerless In Big Fight Between Its Largest Insurer And Hospital
More Health/Employee Benefits News

Life Insurance

  • The 5 Secrets To Retaining Financial Sales Professionals
  • Life Insurance Activity Continues Dip In April But Still Stronger Than 2021, MIB Reports
  • Transamerica Adds Execs To Annuity And Life Insurance Team
  • Northwestern Mutual Invests $5M In Black-Led Financial Institutions
  • Protective Life Closes On AUL Acquisition
More Life Insurance

- Presented By -

How to Write For InsuranceNewsNet

Find out how you can submit content for publishing on our website.
View Guidelines

FEATURED OFFERS

Get Linked INN to your industry Connect with INN on LinkedIn to be first on all the news and insights that matter to your industry.

Press ReleasesAll press releases

  • OneAmerica Commits $1 Million Toward Financial Literacy
  • Transamerica Structured Index Advantage Annuity Offers Investors More Certainty with Upside Growth and Downside Protection
  • Senior Market Sales Creates First-of-Its-Kind Lead Acquisition Platform
  • Growing financial services firm Kuvare opens Des Moines office in East Village, continuing expansion in Iowa
  • BetterLife Selects iPipeline® to Digitally Transform Its Business & Better Serve Future Generations
Add your Press Release >

Topics

  • Life Insurance
  • Annuity News
  • Health/Employee Benefits
  • Property and Casualty
  • Advisor News
  • Washington Wire
  • Regulation News
  • Sponsored Content
  • Webinars
  • Monthly Focus

Top Sections

  • Life Insurance
  • Annuity News
  • Health/Employee Benefits News
  • Property and Casualty News
  • AdvisorNews
  • Washington Wire
  • Insurance Webinars

Our Company

  • About
  • Editorial Staff
  • Magazine
  • Write for INN
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Sign up for our FREE e-Newsletter!

Get breaking news, exclusive stories, and money- making insights straight into your inbox.

select Newsletter Options
Facebook Linkedin Twitter
© 2022 InsuranceNewsNet.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • AdvisorNews

Sign in with your INNsider Account

Not registered? Become an INNsider.