Health Insurers Won't Cover Medical Marijuana in North Dakota

North Dakota voters overwhelmingly approved the legalization of medical marijuana, and lawmakers are grappling with launching the program. But patients are about to learn that legalization does not mean insurance will cover the cost.

Major health insurers in North Dakota have said they will not provide coverage for medical marijuana, which voters approved in the November election by a margin of almost 64 percent, citing what they say is inadequate evidence of its effectiveness.

“We don’t cover it in Minnesota nor will we in North Dakota,” said Greg Bury, senior manager for public relations at Medica. “We don’t believe the efficacy has yet been established.”

Medica’s policy, Bury said, is to “look for evidence-based literature and studies that demonstrate safety, effectiveness and effect on health outcomes.

Thus far, he said, Medica believes that evidence is lacking to justify coverage of medical marijuana.

The positions...

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