Cord Blood Banking

Cord blood banking has become something of a controversial topic. You can think of this as very expensive insurance given the upfront and annual costs to bank and store cord blood and the likelihood of actually needing to use it. The thought is stored umbilical cord blood may one day be used to treat certain types of cancers or other diseases. For more information, see the Parents Guide to Cord Blood.

Private Banking
Costs for the some of the more popular cord blood choices are found below, sorted by the estimated 5-year cost, current as of March 2008.

Vendor	Est 5 year cost	First year Fee	Annual fee
Family Cord Blood Services	$1,930.00	1,330	120
Cryo-Cell	$2,120.00	1,370	125
ViaCord	$2,595.00	1,845	125
CorCell	$2,425.00	1,800	125

First year fees above do not include the cost of first-year storage to more easily compare services. Note that it is worthwhile to call the vendor to understand whether there may be discounts. For example, though not explicitly noted on their site, Family Cord Blood Services offered a physician discount.

The winner: Family Cord Blood Services

Family Cord Blood Services pays for inbound shipping to its Los Angeles storage facility. Further, a representative from their partner, AirNet will pick up the cord blood directly from the hospital. Family Cord Blood Services is owned and operated by two physicians and has been banking cord blood for 11 years, with its parent business California Cryobank in service for 30 years. It also offered the lowest rate of the top choices. Their referral program is also good. Please mention "Biju Philip" if you decide to enroll and we will both get a free year of storage.