Stand Up for APA Applauds Aetna Decision to Permanently Cover Noninvasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) For All Pregnant Women

PR Newswire

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Stand Up for Accurate Prenatal Answers, a nonprofit working to ensure that all women in the United States receive access to the most accurate non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) options, today applauded a recent decision by Aetna to begin providing permanent unrestricted NIPT coverage to all expectant women. This announcement, which closely followed a UnitedHealthcare policy change earlier this month to cover NIPT universally for all expectant mothers, ensures that over 90 percent of all women covered by private insurance providers will soon have unrestricted access to NIPT coverage.

"Aetna's decision to change their existing policies and provide NIPT coverage to all pregnant women is another incredible milestone in our efforts to ensure that all women have access to the best prenatal care options available, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic factors," said Brianna Wetherbe, Director and Board Member of Stand Up for APA.

"Aetna's decision to offer unrestricted coverage for NIPT access to all expecting mothers further reinforce the latest recommended guidelines that endorse NIPT as the superior prenatal screening option for fetal chromosomal abnormalities from top medical societies like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM)," Wetherbe continued. "We will continue to pursue unrestricted NIPT coverage by the few remaining private insurers who are not following these latest guidelines, and in the states where NIPT is not currently covered by Medicaid."

As one of the largest private health insurance providers in the country and previously one of the last holdouts to provide unrestricted NIPT access for all women, Aetna covers an estimated 39 million lives. With this policy change, Aetna joins most other major health insurance companies—including UnitedHealthcare, Anthem, Cigna and more— that ensure NIPT coverage is provided for all women and are protecting the health and wellness of expecting mothers and their families.

To learn more about NIPT access and Stand Up for APA, please visit: standup4apa.org

Stand Up for Accurate Prenatal Answers (Stand Up for APA) is a nonprofit founded by mothers for mothers, working to ensure that all women in the United States are treated equally by receiving the most accurate, non-invasive prenatal genetic screening information available about the health of their baby, regardless of race, color, age, or socioeconomic status. We are driven to remove limitations related to insurance coverage and income or age discrimination that prevent many pregnant women from being offered the most accurate prenatal screening information available.