Find regulations by country or state
Arizona
Arizona has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The Arizona bill was enacted 26 Jan. 2006 and became effective 1 Jan. 2007.
Read more >>Arkansas
Arkansas has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and asks (but does not mandate) physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The Arkansas bill is unusual because it also establishes a program where taxpayers can contribute a portion of their state income tax refunds towards the establishment of a statewide cord blood banking program (both public and private) at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). The Arkansas bill was enacted 30 March 2007 and became effective 30 June 2008.
Read more >>California
California is launching a state wide program of cord blood donation for the public benefit by raising the cost of birth certificate copies $2 apiece. The program was authorized 30 Sept. 2010 by Assembly Bill 52 and may begin operating at the University of California at Davis as early as the summer of 2011.
Colorado
Colorado has state legislation around cord blood education that only asks hospitals and obstetricians to distribute information about public donation of cord blood. The Colorado bill also establishes the Adult Stem Cells Cure Fund. The fund is an optional donation on state tax returns, and the money raised goes to support the expansion of public cord blood banking efforts in Colorado. The Colorado bill was enacted 3 June 2008 and became effective 1 Sept. 2008.
Read more >>Connecticut
Connecticut has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The Connecticut bill was enacted 8 July 2009 and became effective 1 July 2009.
Florida
Florida has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. Florida was the second state to explicitly endorse the use of educational materials from Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation. The Florida bill was enacted 17 June 2011 and became effective 1 July 2011.
Georgia
Georgia has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The Georgia bill was enacted 24 May 2007 and became effective 30 June 2009.
Read more >>Illinois
Illinois has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and encourages prenatal caregivers to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The Illinois bill was enacted 14 Aug. 2007 and became effective 1 Jan. 2008.
Read more >>Indiana
Indiana does not have state legislation that specifically addresses education about cord blood options. However, Indiana does have legislation designed to create a public donation program, and the existence of such a program indirectly creates a need to promote public awareness of donation.
Read more >>Louisiana
Louisiana has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The Louisiana bill was enacted 12 June 2008 and became effective 15 Aug. 2008.
Read more >>Maryland
Maryland has state legislation around cord blood education that only asks hospitals and obstetricians to distribute information about public donation of cord blood. The Maryland bill was enacted 2 May 2006 and became effective 1 Oct. 2006.
Read more >>Massachusetts
Massachusetts has state legislation around cord blood education that is two-tiered. Hospitals are required to inform all pregnant women in the 3rd trimester of the opportunity to donate cord blood. There is also a public education program run by the Dept. of Health that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and asks (but does not mandate) physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The Massachusetts bill was enacted 30 May 2005 and became effective immediately.
Michigan
Michigan has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The Michigan bill was enacted 4 Jan. 2007 and becomes effective "upon determination of sufficient funds" for development of educational materials.
Missouri
Missouri has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. Missouri was the third state to explicitly endorse the use of educational materials from Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation. The Missouri bill was enacted 8 July 2011 and became effective 1 Oct. 2011.
Read more >>New Jersey
New Jersey was the first state to have a state wide program of collecting cord blood donations for the public, established by executive order on 18 Oct. 2005. New Jersey has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The New Jersey bill was enacted 7 Jan. 2008 and became effective 7 Apr. 2008.
Read more >>New Mexico
New Mexico has state legislation around cord blood education that only mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about public donation of cord blood. The New Mexico bill was enacted 19 Mar. 2005 and became effective 1 Jan. 2006.
Read more >>New York
New York has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and asks (but does not mandate) physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The New York bill was enacted 7 Aug. 2007 and became effective 7 Feb. 2008.
North Carolina
North Carolina has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The North Carolina bill was enacted 8 June 2009 and became effective 8 June 2009.
Read more >>North Dakota
North Dakota does not have any state legislation around cord blood education, but their Dept. of Health has officially adopted the educational materials from Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation.
Read more >>Ohio
Ohio has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The Ohio Dept. of Health has officially adopted the educational materials from Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation. The Ohio bill was enacted 31 Mar. 2010 and became effective 1 July 2010.
Read more >>Oklahoma
Oklahoma has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The Oklahoma bill was enacted 15 May 2008 and became effective 1 July 2008.
Read more >>Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The Pennsylvania bill was enacted 3 April 2008 and became effective 2 June 2008.
Read more >>Rhode Island
Rhode Island has state legislation around cord blood education
that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and
mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about
ALL forms of cord blood banking. The Rhode Island bill was enacted 27
June 2008 and became effective 27
June 2008.
Tennessee
Tennessee has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The Tennessee bill was enacted 31 Mar. 2010 and became effective 1 July 2010.
Read more >>Texas
Texas has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The Texas Dept. of Health is also tasked to to educate the public about programs that offer free family cord blood storage when the family has an existing medical need. The Texas bill was enacted 18 May 2007 and became effective 1 Jan. 2008.
Read more >>Virginia
Virginia was the first state to pass legislation where the bill itself explicitly endorses the use of educational materials from Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation. Virginia has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The Virginia bill was enacted 9 Mar. 2010 and became effective 1 July 2010.
Read more >>Washington
Washington has state legislation around cord blood education that follows the Institute of Medicine guidelines and mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about ALL forms of cord blood banking. The Washington bill was enacted 18 Mar. 2008 and became effective 1 July 2010.
Read more >>Wisconsin
Wisconsin has state legislation around cord blood education that only mandates/encourages physicians to educate expectant parents about public donation of cord blood. The Wisconsin bill was enacted 15 Dec. 2005 and became effective 30 Dec. 2005.
Read more >>FAQs
- What questions should parents ask a Family Bank about Company Stability?
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- Is the family cord blood bank a publicly-held or privately-held company?
- Is the company affiliated with a hospital or research institution?
- Is the company involved in bio-technology research and development?
- What other medical services does the company perform?
- How long has the company been banking cord blood?
- Who directs the day-to-day business of the company? Many cord blood banks have famous doctors on their Board of Directors; but they are not involved with the day-to-day operations.
- What is the lab inventory of cord blood collections, both public and private? This speaks to their staff's experience with storing cord blood.
- How many cord blood collections has the bank released from their own lab for therapy? This speaks to their staff's experience with releasing cord blood.
- Processing: How is cord blood processed before storage?
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The three main components of cord blood, like any blood collection, can be separated by weight: the heaviest layer is the red blood cells (RBC), the lightest is the plasma (a clear white liquid), and in the middle is a pinkish layer called the "buffy coat" which contains the white blood cells (WBC), including stem cells. When banks process the cord blood, the final separated component that goes into storage is the buffy coat, even though only about 1% of the cells are actually stem cells. There is no procedure to separate out the stem cells alone.
The vast majority of blood processing methods rely on the different density of the three main blood components. They can be separated by sedimentation, or by centrifuge, or by a combination of the two techniques. The procedure can be performed manually by trained technicians or by automated machine.
- What questions should parents ask a Family Bank about Prices?
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- Is the enrollment fee charged once per family, or for each birth?
- Is the first year of storage included in the processing fee?
- Is the storage fee guaranteed fixed?
- Are there any coupons currently available? Most banks are constantly running a "special limited time offer".
- Are there any professional discounts? Most banks offer discounts to medical professionals and military personnel. Some banks have discounts for first responders or students. It pays to shop for these deals.
- Do parents have the option of a partial or full refund if they decide not to store the cord blood for any reason? For example, if the lab tests show contamination and the cord blood should not be saved, what happens? Full refunds are typically only offered in situations where the bank provided staff to perform the collection service.
- Should the family ever need the cord blood, check that the bank does not charge to release it.
- Is the enrollment fee charged once per family, or for each birth?
