Charlotte’s Web to Provide CBD Products Through New Medicare Innovation Pilot Program

CBD company Charlotte’s Web has announced it is partnering with the new pilot program developed by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to support older adult oncology patients (1). The company will act as a provider with the program, and starting in early 2026 will offer multiple products for patients through an online healthcare portal.

Program Details

The press release explains that through Medicare reimbursement, the program aims to reduce out of pocket costs for patients and enable low-income individuals to access CBD products.

"Charlotte's Web is proud to participate in the CMMI program to bring trusted CBD options to underserved seniors battling cancer," stated CEO Bill Morachnick, in the December 18 press release. "Charlotte's Web was founded to help Charlotte Figi, whose medically challenging life became a CBD success story. Her journey inspired research, opened doors to access, and changed perceptions about the therapeutic benefits of CBD around the globe. The Company made a promise to Charlotte, her mother Paige, and the millions who followed her: to set the standard for the entire industry by leading with quality, consistency, and science. As the CBD market leader and a trusted partner throughout the country among healthcare practitioners, this initiative marks a historic step forward, uniquely positioning Charlotte's Web to expand access to safe, non-intoxicating hemp CBD products through existing pathways. We thank the administration, CMMI, and all key stakeholders for their vision and persistence in making this possible."

Additionally, the company’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) will provide advisory guidance. "Scientific rigor underpins every aspect of this program,” explained said Marcel Bonn-Miller, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Charlotte's Web. “With more than a decade of consumer use and extensive safety studies, Charlotte's Web integrates real-world evidence, patient-reported outcomes, and clinical insights into its R&D process to ensure products are safe and effective.”

Realm of Caring

The nonprofit Realm of Caring will coordinate therapeutic guidance and education for providers and patients, including personalized consultations on products and dosing, communication with providers, and outcomes tracking.

"This initiative represents a blueprint for patient-centered CBD healthcare – one that advances alongside our medical channel expansion and deepening clinical research," added Morachnick. “The potential of the hemp plant is still being furthered, and studies like the Phase 2 FDA clinical trials investigating hemp-based therapies for autism spectrum disorder at our affiliated company, DeFloria, are critical to making its therapeutic promise even more accessible for health insurance-covered care. Our work through this program and our ongoing research demonstrate how rigorous science and compassionate care can converge to serve patients who need it most.”

Recent Executive Order

At the signing of President Donald Trump's executive order on the federal rescheduling of cannabis, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz explained its impact for Medicare (2,3).

“At Medicare, we cover 68 million Americans, including people under the age of 65, and they did not have a way of providing these treatments until today,” stated Dr. Oz at the December 18 White House press conference (3). “With the President's assistance, that all changes. The Innovation Center models are going to allow millions of Americans on Medicare to become eligible to receive CBD as early as April of next year and at no charge if their doctors recommend them, thanks to the hard work of the entire CMS team, especially Abe Sutton and Gita Deo at the Innovation Center, the accountable care organizations in this country working in Medicare will be able to provide these products again at no cost to patients. Medicare Advantage, insurers and we've been calling them, are also agreeing to consider CBD to be used for the 34 million Americans that they cover.”

References

1. Charlotte’s Web. Charlotte's Web Serves as a Premier CBD Partner for Landmark Medicare and Medicaid Pilot Program. December 18, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/charlottes-web-serves-as-a-premier-cbd-partner-for-landmark-medicare-and-medicaid-pilot-program-302646301.html (Accessed 2025-12-22).
2. Colli, M. President Trump Signs Executive Order to Reschedule Cannabis to Schedule III. December 18, 2025. https://www.cannabissciencetech.com/view/president-trump-signs-executive-order-to-reschedule-cannabis-to-schedule-iii (Accessed 2025-12-22).
3. The White House. Live News. December 18, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/live/ (Accessed 2025-12-18).