I was just wondering if anyone has had any type of genetic counseling/testing done, and if so, to what extent it was covered by insurance. My doc just gave me a referral for genetic counseling (and specifically for the Jewish panel, whatever that means!), but warned me that it could be very expensive if I didn't work things out right with my insurance carrier. I'll be calling my insurance for information, but just wanted to get a sense as to what to expect in terms of cost and coverage. Anyone have this done?
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I did. It was covered by my insurance.
There was also a blog post done about this a couple of weeks ago: http://www.hellobee.com/2013/03/08/starting-our-ttc-journey-screening-for-jewish-genetic-disorders/
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Mrs Confetti just did a post about this!
http://www.hellobee.com/2013/03/08/starting-our-ttc-journey-screening-for-jewish-genetic-disorders/
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@highwire: haha, great minds think alike
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I had generic testing done for lynch's syndrome. They actually ended up testing a biopsy from my dad so t fell under his insurance and not mine. Most genetic screening for stuff like that is expensive.
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@zippylef: Lols
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oh my god you guys are awesome! i'm going to check that out right now!
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@zippylef: @highwire: so funny, I was just going to post that link - glad I scrolled up. Thanks!
I definitely did, @Pirouette: you should check out the comments in my blog post, because there seem to be a TON of ppl on HB who did, some of whom had some positive results. Also, not sure where you live, but some places you can get subsidized screening done through local nonprofits...
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We had some genetic testing done. All of our blood work was covered by insurance. When we met with the genetic counselor we payed $65 instead of the normal $35 copay for specialists.
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I did a blood test to see if I was a carrier for CF but that was it. Insurance covered it.
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@MrsH: yea, that's my fear, that if it isn't covered it's going to be very expensive. i just don't know HOW expensive.
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DH and I are also Jewish, and for some reason my insurance didn't cover any testing until after I was already pregnant. Ashkenazi Jews are more likely to be carriers of certain diseases like Tay-Sachs, so a lot of people like to get tested. In my case, I figured I was going to TTC whether I was a carrier or not so I might as well wait to see when my insurance covered it. And then if I was a carrier, we would have had my DH tested, and if he was a carrier we would have had LO tested. But I'm not a carrier.
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@Mrs. Confetti: I'm reading it right now! so helpful, thank you!
@artbee: that's interesting, i will have to ask my insurance about that upfront. I don't mind waiting until we're pregnant if insurance requires it, but i'd rather get it over with now if we can.
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I had genetic testing after our NT test. I paid $20 (copay) for the genetic counselor. I have united healthcare
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We had it done, partly because DH is Jewish and partly because I wanted to know about Fragile X. DH turned out to be a carrier for Canavan, so even though they couldn't definitively rule out the possibility of me being a carrier we were glad we had the chance to find out. Because all labwork is covered under our plan, the testing cost us no more than our co-pay. We called beforehand and gave them the procedure code, just to be sure, and they confirmed that it was covered as labwork.
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Yep, I had the Jewish panel done. It was just a blood test at my first post-BFP appt. Turned out I am a carrier for cystic fibrosis so they tested DH as well (he's negative, luckily). We had a ton more testing done around 10 weeks on the baby, not me.
ETA: It was covered by insurance.
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My OBGYN suggested getting tested by Counsyl, plus Fragile X (we're both Jewish). My insurance (Aetna) didn't cover it, and it would've been $300+ for just me. Instead, we did DNA testing through 23 & Me, for $99/ea. Definitely worth it, especially since it gives SO much info. Also, once I got diagnosed with MTHFR I saw that the info was there all along and was able to see that DH was also has it. The only downside is that it takes up to 2 months to get the results once you sign up (I think it took a month and a half or so for us).
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We had genetic testing done, and everything was covered by insurance (Cigna).
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I'm so glad to hear so many had it covered by insurance. I have a good insurance plan (Empire), but i can't find any info on the website about coverage for this, so i'll have to call them.
@Mrs.Someone: that sounds like a really good alternative if insurance doesn't cover this place! i think i could wait 2 months, since i'm not pregnant yet.
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I work in medical research with several genetic counselors. One of them recently had this test done:
https://www.counsyl.com/diseases/
It tests for a whole slew of genetic diseases and is covered by many insurance companies. She only paid $99 out of pocket to have it done.
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@MrsH: you got genetic testing for Lynch syndrome, but they tested a biopsy from your dad? Were they trying to find out if he has it, or if you have it, or both?
Just curious, because Lynch syndrome runs in my family, too (my grandmother, dad, brother is a strong possibility), but the rest of us subs didn't get tested because when they tested my brother, they said they had trouble isolating the gene in his DNA, which didn't mean he *didn't* have it, but that they couldn't confirm it. It was all very strange, but they said the science of DNA still has a lot to be discovered and that maybe one day in the future, they'd be able to map it and we could go back.
In the meantime, we are to proceed like we think we do have it--regular colonoscopies, ultrasounds on ovaries, etc. Obviously, if it's brain related, we probably wouldn't know until it's too late (like in the case of my dad). My brother has his first occurance of colon cancer at age 29.
I feel like a ticking time bomb most days, but after explaining everything to my husband, he still wanted to TTC.
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We were able to take care of our issues with a detailed genetic counseling appointment and without testing.
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@kiddosc: Counsyl is the test DH and I had done that only cost us the copay.
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@Mrs. Jacks: what exactly do they do at a counseling appointment? just ask you about your nationality and heritage? would DH come as well? (he's not Jewish, so I was assuming just I would be tested and then if necessary, he'd go).
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@Pirouette: They actually drew out our family trees, showed the risks of me carrying various diseases and attached the probabilities and then did some math to show the relative risks of those disorders showing up given my background and his background.
The short answer was that if one of us had Ashkenazi background and the other didn't, the risks are fairly low except for X linked Ashkenazi diseases.
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@Anagram: I posted on your wall.
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@Mrs. Jacks: ah...thats pretty cool...thanks!
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We did the Counsyl test. We didn't have any issues. I forget how much we paid but it was all included in my first fertility appointment.
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I just wanted to update this post in case anyone else comes across it and is seeking information on this...just called my insurance and they said it is a $30 specialist copay, and that's it (and no requirement to wait until i'm pregnant). so that's a relief! anyway, thanks again to everyone for your input
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