Complete coverage of health insurance plans for medical cannabis planned

Bill submitted for better supply of medicinal hemp
Cannabis can provide relief for many chronic illnesses, but so far they have to pay the so-called medical hemp costs out of their own pocket. There are also bottlenecks in availability. The Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) has therefore submitted a recent draft bill to facilitate access to medicinal hemp and other cannabis-based medicines.

Among other things, the planned amendment to the law provides for the establishment of a cannabis agency under the direction of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). This should enable a sufficient and quality-assured supply of cannabis medicines in Germany. In addition to the import, the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes is planned for this purpose. The cannabis agency would buy all the crops of authorized growers, review them and then provide them to care for the patients. The levy is provided through the pharmacies.

With the planned amendment of the law, the reimbursement of medical hemp would be possible in justified cases in the future. (Image: William Casey / fotolia.com)

Cannabis Agency to control cultivation and import of cannabis
"The prescription of prescription drugs for other cannabis medicines should enable patients to be treated with the necessary medical treatment and adequate medical care, without endangering the safety and control of narcotic drugs", explains the Federal Ministry of Health. The establishment of the cannabis agency is here to ensure adequate supervision and control. According to the BMG, "the law also creates a right for insured persons of the statutory health insurance in narrowly limited exceptional cases to be supplied with cannabis in the form of dried flowers or extracts and drugs with dronabinol or nabilone." Cost coverage by the statutory health insurance companies would therefore be included possible in the future.

Self-cultivation further excluded
The draft bill on a "Law amending narcotics and other regulations (cannabis as medicine with cannabis agency)" has already been forwarded to the European Commission for a so-called notification procedure, during which the other EU countries can now submit proposals for amendments. As a rule, the law can then be passed after a three-month period. In addition to the changes in the Narcotics Act, this also provides for adjustments in other legislation, for example in the Fifth Book of the Social Code, which regulates the reimbursement of cannabis products. The self-cultivation of cannabis by patients is explicitly excluded in the changes. This was "from health and regulatory point of view out of the question," said the BMG.

Reimbursement by the health insurance companies
According to the Federal Ministry of Health, cannabis is finding increasing medical use in Germany, especially in patients with severe chronic pain. At the beginning of October 2015, a total of 527 patients had an exemption to purchase cannabis for medical use (dried cannabis flowers and extracts). Depending on the daily requirement, the monthly treatment costs for medical hemp would be estimated at up to € 1,800 per patient. Since the costs are borne by those affected themselves, many are denied access to the corresponding preparations. A reimbursement by the statutory health insurance can bring demanch a significant improvement in the supply situation. (Fp)