Genetic Testing
Provider Type
- Physicians
- Hospitals
- Participating Physician Groups (PPG)
- Ancillary
In general, Health Net covers genetic testing when medically necessary and all of the following are met:
- The member has personal or family history features suggestive of an inheritable condition
- The test can be adequately interpreted
- The results of the test will aid in diagnosis or directly impact the treatment being delivered to the member or family
- Sensory impairment, especially if accompanied by any of the above indications
Genetic Testing Coverage
Medically necessary genetic testing is covered for the following conditions:
- Tay-Sachs disease (TSD)
- Von Hippel-Lindau disease (or syndrome)
- Huntington's disease (HD)
- Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC)
- Cystic fibrosis (CF)
- Breast cancer (BRCA)
- Long QT syndrome (LQTS)
- High-risk pregnancies
- Pregnancy abnormalities:
- Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein
- Fetal chromosomal aneuploidy genomic sequence analysis panel, circulating cell-free fetal DNA (cfDNA) in maternal blood, (trisomy 13, 18 and 21), and sex chromosome aneuploidy (X, XXY, XYY, XXX) screening
- Fetal aneuploidy (trisomy 13, 18 and 21), DNA sequence analysis of selected regions using maternal plasma
- Ultrasound examination
- Chorionic villus sampling (CVS)
- Amniocentesis for women age 35 or older
Prenatal or preconceptional genetic counseling for members or couples is also covered.
Indications for Covering Genetic Testing
Health Net covers medically necessary genetic testing, including, but not limited to, the following:
- Unexplained developmental delay or mental retardation
- Unusual facial appearance or other dimorphic features, especially accompanied by failure to thrive or sub-optimal psychomotor development
- Movement disorder
- Positive newborn screen, for example, phenylketonuria (PKU), congenital hypothyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), biotinidase deficiency, maple syrup urine disease, galactosemia, homocystinuria, sickle cell anemia, medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCAD), or hearing loss
- Common birth defects, such as cleft lip or palate, neural tube defects, clubfoot, congenital heart disease, or congenital kidney defect
- Known or suspected metabolic disorder, including symptoms, such as failure to thrive, organomegaly or loss of previously acquired developmental milestones, as well as occurrences of neonatal death
- Abnormal sexual development, primary amenorrhea, aspermia, infertility, or multiple miscarriages
- Ambiguous genitalia
- Growth retardation or failure to thrive
- Sensory impairment
- Two or more close relatives with the same disease or related diseases, such as cancer, mental illness or neurologic disorders
- Familial cancer (for example, retinoblastoma, Wilms' tumor, renal carcinoma, optic glioma, or acoustic neuroma)Exclusions and Limitations
For additional information on genetic testing policies, including exclusions and limitations of genetic testing, refer to Health Net's medical policies online at the provider portal.