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December 2016 Moms
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NIPT - any way to request a different test?

Julia0529Julia0529 member
in December 2016 Moms
Hi everyone. This is my first pregnancy and I will be getting the NT test next week. I would also like to get the NIPT. The perinatal center that will be doing the NT testing and will offer the NIPT only offers Qnatal (which used to be Materniti21 but Quest Diagnostics now owns it in every state but NY I think). I verified with insurance, they will absolutely not cover the NIPT test. I called Quest Diagnostics and the Qnatal test will cost $2,762. The billing lady said the price screen did not show any available discounts for being a cash patient. I know Quest offers a payment plan but it'll still cost $2,762 no matter how long it takes me to pay it, so that's not an option. I know they offer financial assistance if you qualify for government aid based on your income. I do not qualify. I have heard of Quest sometimes lowering the price but I have heard other nightmarish stories where they refused to lower the price. I just can't chance it.

My ob's office uses LabCorp for their own labwork. LabCorp's NIPT is called informaSeq. I called LabCorp and their test is $400-something. That's much better, but I've seen ladies here and on other forums who have gotten Harmony or verifi or Panorama (or Materniti21 when that was an option) and the parent company of the test offered a very affordable ($140-$240) price for cash patients or patients with denied insurance claims. I want that!

Is there any way for me to request one of the brand-name tests if my ob isn't contracted with them? I'm in Florida if that helps.
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Re: NIPT - any way to request a different test?

  • mrsg2390mrsg2390 member
    I did! My OB isn't contracted with Labcorp but i had Labcorp just fax my dr the correct forms to fill out and send back. I requested the Harmony to test for trisomys and sex. My Dr tried to tell me to get what they offfered, but hey, it's my money and I have the right to request what i want. Just make sure you do your research, they ordered the wrong test but I got it fixed so they could add the sex. A lot of time and effort but the baby is healthy so far and the sex results should be in soon! 
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  • Julia0529Julia0529 member
    That's so good to hear! You were able to get Harmony through Labcorp? I thought Labcorp only did their own informaSeq test
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  • littlebirdie28littlebirdie28 member
    Yeah, I made that call to Labcorp, too. $477 for Informaseq. :-\
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  • Julia0529Julia0529 member
    littlebirdie28 said:
    Yeah, I made that call to Labcorp, too. $477 for Informaseq. :-\
    The LabCorp billing person I spoke with said they did offer a cash discount but she couldn't see what it was without having an actual bill. So there's at least a possibility that it'll be cheaper than that.
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  • Morgan400Morgan400 member
    Verifi offered it to me for $99 regardless of insurance. They said the bill would state a higher amount, but if I called they always except $99 as "paid in full". Seems a bit strange but I am hopeful it will all work out. You could maybe call them to see how to get the test.


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  • mrsg2390mrsg2390 member
    Yes the informaseq i believe only tests the trospmys and Harmony tests for trisomys and sex? I could be wrong and it could vary by state. But I'm in Texas. They offered a 250$ cash price if insurance dpesnt cover it, which mine won't since I'm not high risk. But i just got results back and it's a low risk BOY!!! So excited!!
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  • Julia0529Julia0529 member
    @Morgan400 Thank you!
    @mrsg2390 Congratulations! That's so exciting!!! And (in Florida anyway) there are 3 versions of InformaSeq, the basic that doesn't test for sex, one that tests for the Y chromosome and one that tests for X and Y.

    I looked up labs near me and found one I'd never heard of that offered Panorama. I called my ob with the intention of asking if the lab faxed them paperwork, would they approve it. Turns out there's a lab in their building that does the Panorama test! I called Panorama and asked for the cash price since I know insurance won't cover it. The cash price is over $800. So I asked the billing lady about the $200 price I'd read about and she said if it's run through insurance first for the full amount, then regardless if insurance pays or not, the most I would be responsible for is $200. But she said that's a courtesy they offer to patients with insurance that is considered out-of-network for Panorama, and it's different from their self-pay cash option which doesn't offer the same courtesy. My insurance is Humana and she said they aren't contracted with Humana, so I would qualify as out-of-network. I'm happy with that.

    I'll probably still look into verifi but it's taken me nearly all day to get this far and I'm happy with the $200 Panorama option.

    Just thought I'd share in case the information helps someone else. Thank you for all your helpful responses ladies :)
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