How Much Do Natera Test Results Cost With Insurance?

Natera test results may cost up to 9000% more than the expected price, according to consumers complaints on online forums.

On its billing guide, Natera says that average out of pocket testing expenses are less than $249 for consumers who have met their insurance deductible. In the case of high deductible plans where Natera estimates test costs over $249, the company promises to discuss cash pay options to resolve bills. The company also offers this option to patients whose insurance companies deny claims, though Natera claims to accept most regional and national healthcare plans such as Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, and UnitedHealthcare.

Unfortunately, according to customer recounts of billing experiences, Natera’s idealistic representations of testing costs is misleading.

The most recent complaint on Natera’s Better Business Bureau (BBB) profile claims that the testing company overcharged a customer by thousands of dollars. The reviewer claims they were initially quoted Natera test prices of between $150 and $200. However, after the customer received their Natera test results, the company allegedly billed their insurance for $14,792—9861% higher than the lowest quoted price.

On Yelp, countless other reviews tell the same story. Earlier this month, an Ohio reviewer posted their story after receiving Natera test results for genetic blood markers. According to the reviewer, the test ordered by his wife’s doctor was supposed to cost around $200. Instead, the couple’s insurance allegedly received a bill for $10,500—525% above the quoted price. Like reviews on the BBB website, this reviewer claims Natera uses excessive bills to “gouge unsuspecting patients” for hundreds of dollars.

Although negative Natera reviews date back years, the issue has only recently garnered public attention.

In August 2019, CBSN Dallas-Ft. Worth shared the experience of a Texas woman who claims Natera overcharged her for noninvasive prenatal testing. According to the woman, a nurse told her that the Natera test results would cost less than $200. Despite these promises, the woman’s insurance allegedly received a bill of over $4,000. As a result, the Texan says she received a bill for $611—over three times the price she was expecting.

In March 2020, The Capital Forum consulted with medical coding and billing experts who pointed to “unbundling” as a potential cause. Unbundling occurs when a healthcare provider “codes” a service as several different components instead of one, cheaper code.

“It’s kind of like the sum of the parts is greater than the whole,” Peggy Stilley of AAPC, the largest medical coding training company in the world, told The Capital Forum.

Invoices from Natera show that the company unbundles its single Horizon 274 test into up to 27 unique codes, according to The Capital Forum’s analysis.

Various states have passed laws against surprise billing. Consumers who were overcharged for Natera test results may have legal options. A lawsuit against the medical testing company could help consumers recover inflated costs they may have been pressured into paying.