Anonymous
medicaidplanner Staff answered 6 years ago
No, Medicaid, nor any other insurance, will pay for CBD (cannabidiol) oil. This holds true even if it is prescribed by a physician.
To explain, despite the growing popularity of using CBD to treat medical conditions, it has not been approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) for this purpose. That said, there is one exception that exists. In June of 2018, the FDA approved a prescription CBD medication, Epidiolex, which is used to treat two types of epilepsy. Please note that this is the only CBD product for which Medicaid will pay.
Further complicating the use of CBD oil for medicinal purposes, and Medicaid coverage, is that the DEA (United States Drug Enforcement Agency) still classifies CBD oil as a Schedule I Drug, the same class of drugs as heroin and ecstasy. As a side note, any FDA-approved CBD product with no greater than 0.1% THC (tetrahydrocannabinols) are considered to be Schedule V Drugs. This class of drugs has a low potential for abuse and contains some cough and anti-diarrhea medications.