This story has been updated from a previous verison to clarify information about newly covered and previously covered NIPT tests under Aetna's policy.
NEW YORK – Aetna is now covering noninvasive prenatal tests (NIPTs) from Natera and BillionToOne as part of an update to a policy titled Serum and Urine Marker Screening for Fetal Aneuploidy, which was initiated in 2001.
The update, which went into effect in January, states that cell-free DNA for fetal genotyping for RhD is considered medically necessary when a pregnancy may be at risk for alloimmunization due to maternal RhD status or the presence of red cell antigen antibodies, paternal antigen typing is unavailable or heterozygous, and amniocentesis is declined or contraindicated.
As such, Aetna said it considers Austin, Texas-based Natera's Fetal RhD NIPT, launched late last year, as medically necessary. The test, which is offered through Natera's suite of women's health products, can be performed as early as nine weeks into gestation and determines fetal RhD status from the mother's blood.
The update also includes coverage of tests that measure cell-free DNA for other red cell antigens, specifically BillionToOne's Unity Fetal Antigen NIPT, launched in 2022. A spokesperson for BillionToOne noted that the company also offers a Fetal RhD NIPT that was previously included for coverage as part of an update to the Aetna policy in July 2024.
The latest policy update also notes that BillionToOne's Unity Fetal Risk Screen "is considered experimental, investigational, or unproven."
Additionally, the Aetna policy was updated to consider NIPT via cell-free nucleic acids in maternal blood as medically necessary for fetal aneuploidies such as trisomy 13, 18, and 21, and sex chromosome aneuploidy in all pregnant women with any of several tests, including BillionToOne's Unity Aneuploidy Screen, Natera's Panorama Prenatal Test, and Illumina's Verifi Prenatal Test.
"These new policies expand access to important testing that can prevent unnecessary medical treatment in pregnancies," Ramesh Hariharan, general manager of Women's Health at Natera, said in a statement.