But they are discovering more things every day that stem cells can fix. It sends a collection kit to expectant mothers who arrange for delivery room staff or their doctor to collect the blood, which is then express-mailed to the university. Unfortunately, the collection is not routinely covered by most insurance companies. I think it is going to be a number of years before we see insurance companies across the board picking up the cost. If there is an immediate need for the cord stem cells such as a sibling or parent with cancer, Cord Blood Registry charges nothing, she added.
Insurance companies are more likely to cover the procedure in such a situation.
My insurance company, Principal Financial, told me it wouldn't cover the procedure because it considers it experimental. I'm not sure what constitutes experimental, but since cord blood was discovered to have stem cells in 1988, it has been proved to treat more than 30 diseases. Wiebeck said his agency is seeing more interest from people who want to volunteer their cord blood to help others. While the odds are best to match a family member, it can also be used for unrelated patients. Meryl Fuller of Tampa opted to collect cord blood from her daughter, born in August 1997.