Natera Class Action: Are Hidden Fees Driving Up Your Prenatal Genetic Testing Costs?

A class action lawsuit accuses Natera, a genetic testing company, of deceptive billing practices, alleging that the company charges hidden fees for prenatal genetic tests, surprising patients with bills far exceeding the advertised price.

Consumers Affected: Patients who underwent prenatal genetic testing with Natera and were charged unexpected fees.

Reason for Lawsuit: Allegations of deceptive marketing and billing practices, failure to disclose the true cost of tests, and violations of state and federal consumer protection laws.

Court: The class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

natera logo sign on corporate building

Lawsuit Alleges Surprise Bills for Pregnant Patients Seeking Prenatal Tests

Getting genetic testing done for a baby that’s on the way is already a stressful experience, let alone getting hit with a surprise bill for thousands of dollars that you didn’t expect. 

According to a class action lawsuit, genetic testing company Natera does just that—sending expectant parents bills for far more than the $249 the company advertises the tests to cost.

The lawsuit accuses Natera of violating state and federal law by charging the surprise fees, saying “patients across the country are being harassed by Natera’s deceptive and fraudulent billing practices relating to the genetic testing services that the company offers.”

Pregnant and Price-Gouged? Lawsuit Claims Natera Misleads Patients with Hidden Costs

Elizabeth Copley first filed the class action lawsuit in 2021, saying that while she was pregnant with her second child she did Natera’s Panorama test after being assured by her physician it would only cost a couple hundred dollars.

But, nearly two years after the test, Copley said she saw she was charged $8,000 for it. She said that her and her husband were shocked by the discovery and tried to dispute the charge with Natera, but didn’t get far. 

“Thousands of women have ended up with bills from Natera running into thousands of dollars, leaving them shocked, angry,and stressed because they had no idea they were signing up for such an expensive service,” the lawsuit states. Natera fails to disclose the true cost of its Panorama, Horizon, Vistara, and Spectrum genetic tests in any of its marketing or advertising, the lawsuit alleges.

“The amounts billed can vary from $0 to thousands of dollars, leaving patients with absolutely no insight into the amount they could end up being charged,” according to the lawsuit.

Understanding Prenatal Genetic Testing: What You Need to Know Before Choosing Natera

While Natera offers a range of genetic tests for women, the ones at the center of this lawsuit are to do with testing for fetuses. The carrier screening genetic tests screen prospective parents for any genetic defects in a fetus, and can look into pre-natal genetic tests that analyze the DNA from the pregnant mother’s placenta to look for certain chromosome conditions that could affect the baby’s health.

According to John Hopkins Medicine, health care providers recommend these tests to provide information about the health of a baby and to help parents optimize their child’s prenatal care and development.

Natera Hidden Fees Lawsuit Adds to Growing List of Complaints

According to the lawsuit, “Natera’s egregious billing practices” has been brought up by numerous consumers on online platforms such as Yelp, Better Business Bureau, Reddit, and pregnancy forums such as whattoexpect.com, which “are exploding with negative reviews on Natera’s billing practices.” Numerous complaints have been filed against the company over the years. 

Since Copley filed her lawsuit, the company has been hit with a class action lawsuit that says Natera’s prenatal tests can result in a high number of false positives for rare genetic conditions. It is also facing a lawsuit from its shareholders that say directors and top execs misrepresented the accuracy of the genetic tests, as well as its sales and billing practices.

Earlier this year, Natera was ordered by a Texas jury to pay $57 million to biotech company Ravgen for infringing on one of the company’s patents.

Natera isn’t alone in facing class action lawsuits from consumers over hidden fees, either. Recently, consumers filed a class action lawsuit against online contact lens store Lens.com, which says the company gouges consumers with hidden fees.

Bill payment service Doxo is also facing a class action lawsuit accusing it of tricking consumers into paying unnecessary fees through a deceptive business model.

In Copley’s lawsuit, she claims Natera is guilty of breach of implied contract and of violating California business laws. She wants to represent Natera patients nationwide and is seeking injunctive relief and restitution.

Case Details

  • Lawsuit: Copley v. Natera, Inc.
  • Case Number: 3:21-cv-08941
  • Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Plaintiffs' Attorneys

  • Joseph J. Tabacco, Jr., Kristin J. Moody and A. Chowning Poppler (Berman Tabacco)
  • Patricia Avery and Philip M. Black (Wolf Popper LLP)
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