Umbilical cord blood storage: HSA Eligibility

Umbilical cord blood storage: requires a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) to be eligible with a Health Savings Account (HSA)

Umbilical cord blood storage is sometimes eligible with a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) from a physician if it is to treat an existing or imminently probable disease with a flexible spending account (FSA), health savings account (HSA) or a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA). Umbilical cord blood storage reimbursement is not eligible with a limited care flexible spending account (LCFSA) or a dependent care flexible spending account (DCFSA).

What is umbilical cord blood storage?

While the vast majority of blood storage is conducted for public use, individuals can pay for the services of a cord blood bank in anticipation of treating an existing or imminently probable disease that may develop over the course of their child's life. When a baby is born, parents will have the option to store the blood found inside the umbilical cord of a newborn baby, which is rich in blood stem cells, which have the ability to reproduce themselves into other types of cells. These cells can play a vital role in treating medical conditions like leukemia, sickle cell anemia or lymphoma, as injecting these cells can replenish a patient's blood supply with new, healthy cells. Cord blood cells can also be used to help the body recover from intensive cancer treatments like chemotherapy or radiation (American Pregnancy Association).

When a child is born, parents will have the option of paying to preserve this cord blood for their family member's future use by paying to store it in a private cord blood bank, having it disposed of or donating it to a public bank so it can be freely used by medical professionals to treat a wide range of potential medical conditions.

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Specifically Not Covered

Umbilical cord blood storage as a precautionary measure to treat a disease that may or may not develop may be eligible with a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN).