Seacoast Online discussed the storage of cord blood. They have published an article that looks at the issue as a one of paying for possibility. Cord blood storage is an expense, the author implies, that makes sense only to those who believe there is a reasonably likelihood that the cells will later be used for the child to counteract a medical problem. It's gambling on hope, in essence, according to the article.

You can read the whole piece here. This is an excerpt:

"For a fee, usually about $2,000 upfront and $125 a year thereafter, a company will freeze and store the stem cells extracted from your baby’s umbilical-cord blood. Then, the ads say, your child can wait for science to develop cure-alls using those stem cells to treat everything from Alzheimer’s disease to diabetes and spinal injuries.

The idea is simple: Pay for possibility.

Depending on whom you ask, these private cord-blood banks are either selling an almost priceless form of medical insurance or are capitalizing on the buying power of nervous parents."