The new partnership between two organizations in the health sector will allow businesses to include medical marijuana benefits as part of their employee benefit packages, reducing out-of pocket costs for employees using cannabis therapeutically.
Bennabis Health – which calls itself “dedicated” to filling in the gaps of the health insurance industry, for medical cannabis patients – announced last week a partnership with New Jersey’s CannaCoverage a cannabis broker and consultant who works with the CBD, hemp, and marijuana industries. Bennabis stated in a release that this is the “first group medical cannabis program” offering employee benefits.
Bennabis is not a traditional health insurance plan. It allows patients to receive discounts on medical marijuana. CannaCoverage can integrate this benefit into existing health benefits plans. Bennabis offers an individual membership for those who do not have health benefits from their employer. This membership qualifies them to receive a 15% discount on participating dispensaries.
The announcement release clarifies that “Bennabis Health does not touch plants, but rather contracts with a network medical dispensaries who also place a high priority on supporting patients along their cannabis journey.”
The announcement is framed as an example of a trend that will normalize medical marijuana coverage for workplace benefits. This is in reference to a recent recommendation by the Health and Human Services Department , which recommended that marijuana be rescheduled into the federal Controlled Substances Act.
states that “these two groups anticipate legalization in the near term.” Schedule III will normalize cannabis use as medicine, and the future of healthcare will include this benefit option.
In a press release, Nichelle Santos, CannaCoverage’s co-founder and CEO said: “We are delighted to partner with Bennabis Health as cannabis has been legalized across the U.S. at this pivotal time in history.” “The rescheduling of cannabis allows for medical cannabis to become a multimodal alternative to synthetic prescription drugs and opioids.
According to Bennabis ‘s site , the company has dispensaries located in three states: five in New Jersey, Washington, D.C., a New Mexico, and one elsewhere. The company confirmed in an email sent to Marijuana Moment last week that the benefits are only available for those three states. However, it added that “there have been a few recent updates.”
Cynthia Tantum is the marketing director at Bennabis. She said, “Our goal will be to expand into every state that offers medical cannabis.” We are willing to talk with any medical marijuana dispensaries that want to join the network.
CannaCoverage COO Jeff Booker stated in a press release that this offering was not only the “right thing to do morally, but it also has an economic impact.”
He said: “This is a chance to bring Bennabis Health into mainstream America, in all industries and not just the employers of cannabis and hemp industries.” This alternative medical cannabis benefit will result in a reduction of prescription benefits and medical claims, which will have a significant impact on the bottom line.
This announcement comes only weeks after Enthea, another provider of healthcare benefits, announced that it would be offering health benefit plans covering ketamine-assisted therapies. The company stated that employers who are interested in covering the psychedelic treatment as a treatment can simply add it to their benefits, just like dental and vision coverage.
Last year, Dr. Bronner’s soap made headlines when it began offering psychedelic therapy to employees through the Enthea employee healthcare plan.
According to findings released in August, employees who received ketamine treatment reported “dramatic improvements in mental health.” According to August findings, employees treated with ketamine reported “dramatic improvement in mental health.”
Enthea has announced that it will offer MDMA and psilocybin assisted therapies as they become available. The FDA designated MDMA in 2017 as a ” Breakthrough Therapy ” and is currently on Track for FDA consideration in 2019. This follows successful Phase 3 Clinical Trials published in Nature last month that showed that MDMA-facilitated talking therapy reduced symptoms among patients with moderate-to-severe PTSD.
In June, the FDA published its draft guidance on psychedelics.
Two GOP senators recently submitted a bill which would prevent federal agencies from rescheduling marijuana without the approval of Congress.
A Congressional Research Service report published last month found that the DEA was likely to follow HHS’ recommendation for rescheduling, following an 11-month review of scientific evidence based on Biden’s directive.
DEA report shows labs are testing’significantly’ less marijuana seized amid the state legalization movement
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