Trump Looks at Changing Medicare Coverage Next Year

President Donald Trump is anticipated to announce a pilot program that would reimburse Medicare patients for CBD treatments, according to a Thursday report in The Washington Post.

Trump is also expected to speak about potentially loosening restrictions on marijuana in the U.S. If cannabis is classified as Schedule I alongside Tylenol with codeine, there could be widespread ramifications on businesses as well as taxes and medical treatments.

CBD, or cannabidiol, is used for pain management by millions of Americans, with 60 percent saying they’ve tried CBD at some point, according to Forbes. It’s used for a wide array of purposes, from pain relief to anxiety and sleep improvement.

The Washington Post said the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) could launch the CBD coverage program as early as next year.

The agency previously looked into the idea of covering CBD use to help treat cancer, and if Trump decides to re-classify marijuana as a Schedule III drug, it could help open up the door to more options of treatment.

“They are testing whether CBD can graduate from the supplement aisle to actual medical coverage,” Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com, told Newsweek. “This is a controlled experiment, and most seniors won't see it.”

Trump’s plans to sign an executive order to expand access to cannabis has been reported on this week.

“The focus is not recreational use, but symptom management," Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek. "Many patients report that CBD helps with nausea, appetite loss and other side effects of chemotherapy, often with fewer adverse effects than traditional pharmaceuticals used for those same purposes.”

If cannabis is classified alongside Tylenol with codeine instead of with other Schedule I drugs like heroin and LSD, there could be implications for business and taxes as well as medical treatment for everything from cancer and chronic pain to anxiety.

“The real play here isn't compassion but cost control," Ryan said. "CBD works as a pain adjunct at a fraction of what opioids cost Medicare. If this pilot proves it reduces pain safely, you're looking at one of the most meaningful benefit changes for fixed-income seniors in a decade.”

Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com, told Newsweek: “Medicare is hemorrhaging money on opioids for chronic pain and chemo side effects. CBD is the obvious non-addictive alternative they've been too cautious to touch. This pilot is limited to oncology, palliative care, maybe chronic pain. It's just the foot in the door. Narrow eligibility, pharmaceutical grade products only, tight dosing controls. It's not ‘everyone's getting free CBD drops.’”

Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek: “For now, seniors should expect more discussion than immediate action. Any changes would likely begin as a pilot program, with clear guardrails around what qualifies as an approved treatment, how it is prescribed, and how reimbursement would work under Medicare.”

Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “In the past, alternative therapies for seniors being covered by Medicare have been relatively rare. The Trump administration's potential decision to open up Medicare coverage to reimburse CBD treatments for recipients would mark a significant turning point in not just the possible care seniors will receive, but long-standing views at the federal government level on CBD and its effects. While some will take from this possibility a message of the general loosening of marijuana regulations, it's important to note this coverage would still just be in the pilot phase so more information could be ascertained before possible broader implementation. Still, it's a significant step for advocates who have pushed for more accessibility to CBD and related substances.”

Once Medicare starts paying, CBD would likely shift from “Wild West supplements” to regulated medical products, Ryan said.

“Better safety? Absolutely. But the cheap stuff people are buying now disappears. You get pharmaceutical grade, you lose choice,” he said. “Long term, if outcomes look decent by 2027, this goes permanent and broader. And doctors finally have to actually learn the endocannabinoid system instead of awkwardly dodging the conversation.”