Who is Going to Pay for Psychedelic Therapies?

Wednesday, January 14 | 1:00 – 2:00 pm (PT) | Zoom
BCLT Life Sciences Law & Policy Center

1.00 General CLE Credit Available

Register here | Resources

As state psychedelic decriminalization efforts emerge and therapies using drugs like MDMA, psilocybin, and LSD advance through the FDA research and approval pipeline, broader access to psychedelic-assisted therapies (PATs) may soon be on the horizon. Yet, experts predict these therapies will be quite expensive, meaning the economic and logistical framework for delivering these novel treatments remains a significant challenge.

This panel will explore how psychedelic advocates, drug developers, private insurers, government programs, and individual patients will share the financial burden, and what models might work best to create equitable access for these therapies. Attendees will gain insight into the financial levers and regulatory changes required to make psychedelic medicine accessible for everyone.

Moderator

Vince Joralemon headshot

Vincent Joralemon
Life Sciences Law & Policy Center, BCLT, UC Berkeley Law

Vincent Joralemon is the Director of the Life Sciences Law and Policy Center at the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology (BLCT). His scholarship focuses on: psychedelics, psychopharmacology, and other emerging therapeutics; evidence generation and FDA reform; and innovation policy that enables responsible use of data across life sciences research and development.

Panelists

Elliot Marseille headshot  

Elliot Marseille
UC Berkeley

Elliot Marseille, DrPH, MPP, is a health economist whose work sits at the intersection of psychedelic science, public health, and policy. He directs the Collaborative for the Economics of Psychedelics at UC Berkeley, where he and collaborators develop rigorous, decision-relevant analyses of psychedelic-assisted therapies—spanning cost-effectiveness, access, pricing, and implementation. The work of CEP is designed to inform payers, regulators, and health systems on coverage and scale-up.
Sherry Rais headshot

Sherry Rais
Enthea

Sherry Rais is the CEO and Co-Founder of Enthea, which provides the most innovative, evidence-based mental health solutions through employee benefit plans – ensuring safe, affordable access to treatments that actually work. Under her leadership, Enthea has grown from a pilot program to serving over 300,000 covered lives nationwide, delivering unmatched outcomes for depression, anxiety, and PTSD – while helping employers reduce costs, improve retention, and boost workforce well-being. She has worked in over 35 countries with the United Nations and the World Bank, and holds degrees from the London School of Economics and McGill University. A sought-after speaker at events like HLTH, BenefitsPRO, and SXSW, Sherry shares how forward-thinking employers can transform mental health benefits to improve outcomes, reduce costs, and boost workforce well-being.
Chris Raine headshot

Chris Raine
The Psychedelic Consultancy (Australia)

Chris Raine is a mental healthcare entrepreneur and executive dedicated to pioneering innovative treatments for addiction and mental health. He founded Hello Sunday Morning, a non-profit organisation that established one of the world’s largest online communities supporting individuals recovering from alcohol dependence. Chris also co-founded Clean Slate Clinic, a telehealth service delivering home-based alcohol detox programs, which has successfully supported over 2,000 detoxes across Australia. As a 2024 Kenneth Myer Innovation Fellow, Chris spent 12 months contributing to the establishment of Australia’s psychedelic-assisted therapy system, developing extensive relationships and deep insights that enabled treatment access for the first 100 patients.
Dara Menashi headshot

Dara Menashi
Psychedelic Mental Health Access Alliance

Dara Menashi, Ph.D., is a Co-Director of the Psychedelic Mental Health Access Alliance, where she focuses on developing Medicaid fundable care models and creating the evidence Medicaid needs to cover psychedelic assisted therapies. She is a systems reform expert who previously led child welfare finance reforms at the Annie E. Casey Foundation that helped shape federal legislation, and she now advises donors and mission-driven health organizations on strategies to expand access to effective care for marginalized communities.