Private versus public cord blood banks
Private versus public cord blood banks
Parents donating cord blood must decide between private cord blood banks and public cord blood banks. YeahBaby.com helps you decide.
By the YeahBaby.com editorial staff
Parents deciding to store cord blood must choose between public or private cord blood banks. Understand the differences between the two blood banks before making this important decision.
A public cord blood bank is much like a standard blood bank. Donating to a public bank is free, but the public bank will become the owner of your cord blood. But fear not, donating to a public bank will get you on a registry so you can withdraw cord blood if need be. Donating to a private bank is much like storing something in a safe. You will retain ownership and the destiny of your cord blood, but collection and storage fees will cost from $1000 to $2000. Public cord blood banks are funded by medical insurance and blood sales. Public banks are typically non-profit while private banks are for-profit businesses.
Those using private banks will be assured their cord blood is instantly available should the need arise. The cord blood which is used will be their baby’s blood. Public banks cannot guarantee the availability of a match for a baby’s cord blood, though this is typically not a problem. In almost all cases, blood received from a public bank will be from a different donor.
Doctors may charge fees for collecting cord blood. These fees are typically not covered by insurance. However, it is very common for doctors to waive collection fees if the cord blood is donated to a public bank.
YeahBaby.com suggests contacting both a public and private cord blood bank to get additional information on their differences.
 | ||||||
| ||||||
 | ||||||
 |
