Major health insurer becomes first in Australia to support medical cannabis treatments

HIF has become the first major private health insurer to publicly declare support for medical cannabis and one of the first to offer rebates for the treatments under their extras policies.

The announcement is a major step forward for the medical cannabis industry, which has gained lots of community support though it is not considered a first-line therapy by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and treatments are not listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

Under HIF’s changes, customers who subscribe to its pharmacy drugs extras scheme can claim a maximum rebate of $80 per script or $105 if they are prescribed products from WA medical cannabis producer Little Green Pharma.

“As a member-based health fund, our community is the motivation for everything we do, so
assisting members through treatment options that can dramatically improve quality of life
across different life stages is a key focus,” HIF chief executive Justin…