CPAPtalk.com

As Scott points out, there are many prices at a local DME.
The price they usually list is sometimes the MSRP, sometimes far more, as they hope someone is dumb enough to pay it.
People without insurance coverage can attempt to negotiate, but these scum-suckers know desperate--and make it profitable. Insurance companies may contract for better prices (or "bonuses", etc.), but Medicare often gets the lowest price.
(Except for certain items, like filters, which are outrageous)

chunkyfrog wrote:As Scott points out, there are many prices at a local DME.
The price they usually list is sometimes the MSRP, sometimes far more, as they hope someone is dumb enough to pay it.
People without insurance coverage can attempt to negotiate, but these scum-suckers know desperate--and make it profitable. Insurance companies may contract for better prices (or "bonuses", etc.), but Medicare often gets the lowest price.
(Except for certain items, like filters, which are outrageous)

Don't forget eBay for supplies. I've been able to find filters on eBay at very low prices. I got my last Swift Fx pillows on eBay for $7.99 each.

sc0ttt wrote:

I agree that each person is best served running a price comparison based on their own insurance plan and situation.

How old was your price comparison?

PR system one 460 with heated humidifier, heated hose,filters included costs $363 with free shipping from Cpap.com today.
The main unit is $359, when you customize and add the heated Humidifier and hose option they only charge you $4 more.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-sys ... #specs-tab

The issue in many insurance plans is the yearly deductible that must be met out of pocket before any coverage comes into play.
If you Hit the yearly deductible then using insurance makes sense. In my case I rarely come close to the deductible during the plan year.
Many insurance plans like mine won't buy you a machine and only rent it monthly until you prove compliance.
The Humidifier, mask and supplies must be purchased upfront.

jtravel wrote:
How old was your price comparison?

PR system one 460 with heated humidifier, heated hose,filters included costs $363 with free shipping from Cpap.com today.
The main unit is $359, when you customize and add the heated Humidifier and hose option they only charge you $4 more.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-sys ... #specs-tab

The issue in many insurance plans is the yearly deductible that must be met out of pocket before any coverage comes into play.
If you Hit the yearly deductible then using insurance makes sense. In my case I rarely come close to the deductible during the plan year.
Many insurance plans like mine won't buy you a machine and only rent it monthly until you prove compliance.
The Humidifier, mask and supplies must be purchased upfront.

Comparison is from 2014. PR-460 has been discontinued for the Dream Station, of course it's discounted now.

My numbers aren't as important as the process of comparison. I bet a DME would run a new patient an estimate including insurance benefits though, and then they'd have all the figures.
It also helps to understand how your insurance works. I have a $400 deductible and then insurance pays 80% of the rest.

sptrout wrote:

Hindyg wrote:Are there physical retail stores that sell CPAPs and CPAP supplies or are they mostly just available online?

Unless I missed it, no one answered the OP's original question, which is odd in that the folks that provide this forum "CPAPtalk.com" do own a brick and mortar store of the same name (without the "talk" in the store's name). It is located in Stafford,TX, which is a suburb of Houston. Since I also live if the greater Houston area, and have visited CPAP.com's store (and bough hardware), I just wanted to mention it. It was very helpful to see a variety of competitive CPAP products sitting side-by-side. Made the buying decision much easier. (I realize that there are very few users of this Board that could ever have the opportunity to visit their store, but if you are ever in Houston it may be worth a trip to Stafford.)

Thank you, sptrout! This post seems to have taken on a life of it's own.