Cigna Issues Coverage Criteria for Whole-Exome Sequencing; WGS Still Not Covered

Cigna has published a new coverage policy outlining its conditions for covering whole-exome sequencing (WES) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). The policy, which Cigna developed in collaboration with a network of genetics experts from InformedDNA, represents the first time a national health plan has laid out coverage criteria for WES. Cigna said it would cover WES when a patient meets all the criteria on a detailed list. Meanwhile, Cigna said it wouldn’t cover WGS for any condition, and characterized this type of testing as experimental, investigational, and unproven. Most payors consider WGS and WES experimental, and only cover WES after case-by-case evaluation of the clinical context in which a test was performed.

Source: https://www.genomeweb.com/sequencing-technology/cigna-issues-coverage-criteria-whole-exome-sequencing-wgs-still-not-covered