I have a condition that I think may be helped by cannabis oil. However, my health insurance is covered by CINICO and I don’t think any Health Services Authority doctors prescribe it. If a private doctor gives me a prescription, will CINICO pay for it?

Auntie’s answer: The good news for you is that CINICO will pay for cannabis oil, and there really is no accompanying bad news, except that you have to go through an approval process. In addition, the coverage depends on the policy you hold.

A CINICO official explained that the insurer would cover up to the plan limits, which would be $320 per year under the basic Standard Health Insurance Contract (known as SHIC) and 100% for civil servants, seafarers and indigents.

But first the CINICO member has to obtain a prescription for the cannabis oil and the approval of the chief medical officer (CMO), who will decide if it is medically necessary. Your doctor needs to make a request for the oil to the CMO. The CINICO representative stressed that a determination of whether the cannabis oil prescription is accepted is done on a “case-by-case basis”. Once approval is given, you can take the prescription to the pharmacy.

To date, one person covered by CINICO has received two allotments of the oil for a set period of time. The CMO approved the prescription, which was filled by a private pharmacy.

In addition, as you may already know, a local hospital recently introduced cannabis oil here (see Hospital begins dispensing cannabis oil). It is also available at the Foster’s pharmacy.