Is Medical Marijuana Covered by Insurance in Canada?

Medical marijuana can assist relieve the signs of numerous well being circumstances. It’s identified for its skill to alleviate ache, nausea, muscle spasms, nervousness and temper regulation, insomnia, low urge for food, autism, a number of sclerosis, epilepsy (and different seizures), immune operate, and neuroplasticity. Due to the distinctive vary of signs it could possibly present reduction for, it’s usually sought by those that undergo from circumstances which might be tough to diagnose and deal with, like fibromyalgia and anorexia, and it could possibly even assist with the signs related to chemotherapy. However is medical marijuana coated by insurance coverage in Canada for many who want it?

First, let’s clear up a few misconceptions about medical marijuana.

Medical marijuana isn’t fairly the identical factor as leisure marijuana. Each are plant-based, derived from the Hashish Sativa or Hashish Indica species, and each have three main lively components: THC, CBD, and CBN. Medical marijuana is used below the steering and authorization of a medical practitioner to be able to alleviate the signs of a well being situation, and it’s formulated in another way than the form of marijuana that’s used for recreation. Medical marijuana comprises increased concentrations of CBD (cannabidiol), which provides medical qualities, and decrease concentrations of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which produces the “excessive” feeling related to leisure hashish. In different phrases, those that are prescribed medical marijuana are benefitting from its medicinal traits reasonably than its mind-altering traits, however does that imply they’ll get their medical marijuana coated by insurance coverage in Canada?

Tips on how to get protection for medical marijuana in Canada

Medical grade hashish is eligible for Income Canada’s Medical Expense Tax Credit score, so you’ll be able to declare medical hashish and its associated bills in your tax return—you simply must have your prescription and receipts from an authorised producer with a Well being Canada license. The tax credit score, nonetheless, will not be your solely type of help. Your medical marijuana may be coated by your Canadian insurance coverage plan.

Medical marijuana protection continues to be comparatively new as a result of the doubtless excessive prices current a better threat to insurance coverage suppliers, so not each insurance coverage plan in Canada goes to offer protection. There are some insurance coverage suppliers, nonetheless, who’re beginning to present medical marijuana insurance coverage protection below Canadian office advantages packages. Solar Life Monetary is on such supplier. Solar Life’s insurance coverage plan requires employers to pay a premium, and in trade it would present protection for medical hashish by its office advantages plan supplied the worker is affected by one of many outlined medical circumstances.

What are the eligibility necessities for medical marijuana insurance coverage protection in Canada?

Medical marijuana insurance coverage is simply out there by choose insurance coverage suppliers whether it is getting used to deal with the signs of some particular medical circumstances. This caveat is in place to assist the insurance coverage suppliers mitigate among the threat related to the excessive prices of medical hashish. It’s usually extra expensive than established pharmaceutical drugs, and there isn’t all the time robust proof pointing to the efficacy of its use to deal with the signs of the situation. Protection is subsequently supplied for the circumstances and signs for which there’s clear medical proof that using medical hashish can provide sufficient of a profit to outweigh its threat.

Solar Life insurance coverage at the moment supplies medical marijuana protection for:

• extreme ache, nausea, and vomiting that’s related to most cancers and most cancers remedies

• spasticity or neuropathic ache ensuing from a number of sclerosis

• rheumatoid arthritis (solely as a final resort to different types of therapy)

• neuropathic ache ensuing from HIV/AIDS

• anorexia

• palliative care