OT.......cord blood banking
TD,
I had not seen that article and appreciate your calling it to my attention. However, the arguments against, or perhaps more accurately, not in support of private cord blood banks, are not new. A CBS MarketWatch article from back in July discussed the con point of view even more extensively. The pro case is argued on the Yahoo CCEL thread and there is a club.
Two thoughts off the top. Those connected with the public banks may be biased against the private ones. The notion that private bank customers are being duped is plain wrong IMHO.
Of course the wisdom of the private storage proposition depends on the uncertain future of stem cell therapies (which type,source, auto/allo, etc.). It also depends on the fees involved and the value one places on the availability if ultimately required.
One could imagine the cost/benfit analysis made on behalf of the public interest... Given an average cost of cord blood banking of $850 and what is currently know about stem cells, what is the expected value?
EV = Probability (current statistics)of Need... X ...Actuarial Value of a Human Life =
``routine commercial cord blood collection and stem-cell storage cannot be recommended at the present time because of the insufficient scientific base to support such practice and the logistic problems of collection for National Health Service providers.''
One could also imagine the calculation made by a potential CCEL customer. Given the $275 cost (see below)and the promising potential for stem cells looking a lifetime into the future, what is the expected value?
EV = Probability (crystal ball) of Need... X ...Value of My Child's Life =
Saving cord blood is a reasonable thing to do.
I have decided that I would be willing to pay $275 to have my newborn's cord blood saved today. (Would love to conduct a pole of SI biofreaks on this issue) Therefore, I have invested in CCEL. We should take this elsewhere if you are interested in extending the discussion.
Regards
SMH
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<The high fees of competitors such as CorCell, (cell collection and first year storage fees of $1,350 and annual fees of $95), Cord Blood Registry, Inc. ($1,385 and $95), California CryoBank ($700 and $150) and Viacord ($1,500 and $95) contribute to the inaccurate, but widely held opinion that all stem cell storage facilities are exorbitantly expensive. CCEL is actively dispelling these rumors with its collection and first year storage fees of only $275 and its locked-in annual fee of $50. Therefore, the CCEL collection and first year storage fee is 78% less costly than the industry average, and its annual fee is 54% less costly than the industry average. By positioning itself so significantly below the market average, the Company has made the collection and storage procedure affordable and within financial reach of most families without jeopardizing its final profit margins. > |
