Does the PBS, Medicare or health insurance cover CBD?

For most people the answer is no. As of November 2026, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) subsidises one CBD medicine, Epidyolex, for two rare forms of epilepsy.¹ Every other CBD oil is an unapproved medicine with no PBS subsidy, so the patient pays the full private price.² Medicare does not pay for medicines, and private health insurance cover is limited and differs between funds.

Who pays for what?

Sources are given in the sections below.

What does the PBS cover?

The PBS is the government scheme that subsidises listed medicines, so that the patient pays a set co-payment instead of the full price. A medicine can only be listed after the TGA has registered it and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC), an independent expert body, has recommended it.

Only two cannabis medicines are registered in Australia.³

Epidyolex (cannabidiol 100 mg/mL oral solution) is registered as an add-on treatment for seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome or Dravet syndrome in patients aged 2 years and older.⁴ It is on the PBS for both.

• Dravet syndrome. As of November 2026 it is an “Authority Required” item, meaning the prescriber needs approval for each prescription. The criteria include seizures not adequately controlled by at least two other anti-seizure medicines, and treatment is neurologist-led.¹⁴ In March 2026 PBAC recommended easing these criteria. The live PBS page did not yet show that change when we checked.⁴
• Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. PBAC rejected the first application in March 2022, recommended listing in September 2022, and it was listed on 1 June 2023.⁵ After a PBAC recommendation in July 2025 it became a streamlined authority item. The requirement to have tried at least two other medicines was dropped, paediatricians may start treatment and GPs may continue it.⁵⁶

The published price is $1,532.91 for a 100 mL bottle. An eligible patient pays the PBS co-payment: $25.00 for general patients, as of 1 July 2026, or $7.70 with a concession card.¹⁷ The general co-payment fell from $31.60 to $25.00 on 1 January 2026.⁷

Two things were pending as of 13 November 2026. PBAC’s November 2026 meeting was due to consider Epidyolex for tuberous sclerosis complex, and an increase in the maximum quantity per prescription from one bottle to five.⁸⁹ The outcomes had not been published as of that date.

Sativex (nabiximols, a spray containing THC and CBD) is registered for spasticity in multiple sclerosis but is not on the PBS. PBAC rejected it in July 2013 and March 2020, and we found no later consideration.¹⁰ See registered cannabis medicines.

Why are other CBD oils not on the PBS?

Because they are not registered. The TGA has not assessed them for safety, quality or effectiveness, and a product cannot be put to PBAC without that.²

The TGA has given its own view of why companies have not applied: ready access through the unapproved pathways “has reduced or removed the incentive” to generate the trial data registration requires.¹¹

There is a second reason. PBAC lists medicines for conditions where trials show they work and are worth the cost. Epidyolex reached the PBS on large controlled trials in severe epilepsy. For many other conditions, controlled trials have found CBD no better than placebo, or have not been done.¹²¹³¹⁴ See CBD for epilepsy and the conditions section.

Does Medicare cover anything?

Medicare pays rebates for eligible medical services, such as a consultation with a GP or specialist. It does not subsidise medicines. That is the PBS’s job.

We could not confirm any Medicare rule that is specific to cannabis consultations, so we do not quote a rebate amount. What a patient pays depends on the provider, whether they bulk bill, and whether the consultation meets Medicare’s rules.

One general rule is relevant to telehealth. The health department says that to be eligible for GP telehealth services, a patient must have had a face-to-face consultation with that GP, or another GP at the same practice, in the previous 12 months, with limited exceptions.¹⁵ A telehealth consultation with a doctor you have never seen in person may therefore not attract a rebate.

Does private health insurance cover CBD?

Sometimes, in a limited way. Hospital cover is not relevant. Where cover exists it sits under extras policies that pay towards prescription medicines not on the PBS, and it is capped.

We could confirm the written policies of only two funds:

• One fund’s fact sheet, dated 12 June 2026, pays up to $100 per prescription to an annual limit of $600 on its top extras, and up to $75 per prescription to $450 a year on a lower level. It pays only the amount above a co-payment equal to the PBS general co-payment. The product must be TGA-approved or come with a Special Access Scheme or Authorised Prescriber letter. Compounded products are excluded, and a 12-month waiting period applies.¹⁶
• Another fund says only TGA-approved products can be claimed, and that products accessed through the Special Access Scheme cannot.¹⁷

We could not confirm the policies of other funds, including the largest ones, so we have not described them.

Questions to put to a fund, in writing if possible:

• Does my policy pay a benefit for non-PBS prescription medicines?
• Does that include unapproved medicines supplied under the Special Access Scheme or Authorised Prescriber scheme?
• What is the benefit per prescription, the annual limit and the waiting period?
• What paperwork is needed with a claim?

Life insurance and income protection are separate products with their own disclosure rules. We have not researched them.

What about the NDIS?

NDIS guidance says the scheme is not the most appropriate agency to fund medicinal cannabis products, because they are pharmaceuticals, which are the responsibility of the health system.¹⁸ Check the current position with the NDIA.

What about veterans?

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs funds medicinal cannabis for eligible Veteran Card holders, case by case, for a set list of conditions that excludes mental health conditions. The veteran pays the $7.70 concessional co-payment.¹⁹ The rules were tightened on 16 February 2026. See CBD and DVA.

Workers’ compensation and other schemes

These are state schemes with their own policies. As one example, WorkSafe Victoria says it “does not support the use of medicinal cannabis” for chronic non-cancer pain, and will consider paying only in rare exceptions with pain specialist support.²⁰ We have not checked other states.

Are there other ways the cost is reduced?

• Clinical trials supply the study medicine to participants.²
• Compassionate schemes. The RACGP says patients in several states and territories “may be eligible for medicinal cannabis products compassionate use schemes”.²¹ We could not confirm current details.
• Tax. The medical expenses tax offset is not available from 1 July 2019.²²

For what the medicine itself costs and how to compare products, see how much CBD costs in Australia and the CBD cost calculator.

This page is general information, not medical or legal advice. Laws and evidence change; we show the date we last checked the facts at the top of every page. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

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