The debate about whether cannabis is necessary for medical patients may still be raging in some circles, but there may be a time shortly when insurance companies may cover the expense of it.
There is a reason to believe that insurance companies may get on the medical marijuana train and cover those who find benefit from its use. Long known as a viable alternative to prescription pain medication, cannabis gives some patients real benefit without all the side effects that can come from prescription pain medication.
Medical marijuana has taken a long time to make it into the mainstream. Long known beneficial to cure some side effects of disease, it has taken a lot of convincing for the medical community to accept it.
There are some who believe that marijuana is nothing more than a gateway drug; but the evidence is irrefutable that when put up against some other pain medications on the market, it has less harm to use and is a less addictive substance.
Most medical circles conclude that cannabis is not an addictive drug. Having some properties to mental dependency, there are no physical ones, unlike many other pain medications. With prescription drug overuse on the rise, marijuana may offer a viable alternative to many pain sufferers.
Chief among those who could benefit is those receiving chemotherapy. Often, one of the side effects of chemotherapy is nausea leading to poor nutrition. Medical marijuana works by increasing appetite, and in many patients, increasing their overall nutritional status and immunity.
There is talk that, in the future, medical marijuana may be covered through your Manitoba public insurance. Already legal in some places, there, to date, are no insurance companies who reimburse the cost of use.
Medical marijuana is already deemed legal to possess and to buy for medical purposes only. Unlike other places around the world like the US, the laws concerning marijuana is legislated by the federal government, which makes it more uniform and the laws enforceable along all Provinces in Canada.
Just two short years ago, there were only two reasons that a person could be authorized to use medical marijuana. It could be used only for illnesses or diseases that have debilitating symptoms which impeded everyday activity.
Now, the use of marijuana may be indicated for any illness if deemed medically necessary by a physician. With a “prescription” of medical necessity, any patient can obtain medical marijuana for use.
Medical marijuana can only be produced by licensed providers regulated by the government. The dispersion of it is highly regulated and controlled. Due to the introduction of new Canada health rules, many are speculating that health insurance companies will soon be forced to cover the cost and use of medical marijuana for patients. Since new laws are allowing the sale of cannabis oils, it is likely that the new administration of it will lead to insurance companies not to be able to deny coverage of use.
The use of oils to administer cannabis will likely lead to a gel form that is more uniform and regulated. When that happens, it will be more acceptable for insurance companies to justify covering the cost of use. Likely, cannabis in pill form, will cost less than more expensive alternative. It will be in the insurance companies best interest to cover it over other forms of pain management.
Once cannabis is more easily regulated and administered in a more consistent and reliable manner, there will be no way for insurance companies to deem it medically inappropriate. Becoming more legitimate, medical marijuana will likely be more acceptable than much other habit-forming pain medications that have severe side effects or long-term consequences for the health of patients who take them.
To date, there is no evidence to suggest that cannabis will pose negative consequences for those it is prescribed to, and, therefore, will be a much easier drug for physicians and insurance companies to justify across the board.
The thing about any medicinal formula is that until it can be uniformly administered, no one can regulate it or set a price. Now that medical marijuana is being approved in different administration vectors, it will quickly become a more reliable and cost-effective drug for insurance companies to add to their medically necessary list.
Just be careful, it may make it likely that it will take the place of other pain medications, which would make it possible for insurance companies to deny more expensive pain medications in the future.