Can you buy your own cpap machine?

[writergirl2002]

The supply people are making it sound like I will be stuck with whatever cpap machine they give me ... can I just buy my own? They said I will have to rent it for 10 months, as billed to my insurance, and then after that the insurance considers it purchased. What if they give me something I don't think works well? It sounds like they want to give me whatever they give me...whenever they get around to it, I guess.

[Stormynights]

I never got a machine through insurance. Of course you can buy your own. I would try to get on through insurance first though. You might get a good one if you can get your doctor to write a prescription for what you want.

[BobF4]

Writer,

Thats the way it was with both of my machines. They bill for 10 months, then insurance considers it bought.

The first one I got in 2003, and really had no clue about CPAP, at that time.

The second one I got in 2010, to replace the original (deemed "obsolete" by the DME). I thoroughly researched it, and got my choices down between the Phillips Respironics SystemOne or the ResMed S9 Elite. I chose the S9, and got lucky, because that is what my DME was going to give me anyways. If they had given me the SystemOne, I would have asked about the S9, anyways, rest assured!

You can buy your own machine, yes, but for most people, that cost is very prohibitive! My S9, for example, with the H5i humidifier attachment, currently retails for over $1000, before insurance!

[Pugsy]

A lot of insurance companies do the "rent to own" thing....we call it a capped rental. After so many months (number of months can vary between insurance companies) the rental stops and you own it and no more monthly "rental" fees. If for some medical reason the machine is not suitable for your needs then there are ways to get the insurance company to foot the bill for a different machine but there needs to be documented proof of the medical need...like high pressures being difficult to manage and a bilevel machine being offered because higher pressures are better managed with a bilevel machine or if centrals emerge and a different type of machine is needed to address the centrals.
Even Medicare does the capped rental thing and even they will spring for a different machine if it is needed.
The capped rental is done so that the insurance company knows that you are indeed using it and they aren't wasting their money. Not all insurance companies do it that way but probably the majority do.

Have you read Janknitz hints about machines and how to deal with DMEs?

http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/

http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/what-y ... me-part-i/

[grace62]

You can definitely buy your own machine. Do your research as to the machine you and your doctor believe is best for you. Even your doctor can't demand that you have a certain machine although her or his recommendation needs to be considered. However don't try to set your own levels - that's best done by your doctor. Too little air and you might develop high hemoglobin like I did when I word the wrong mask for 4 months. Too much air has other health altering effects.

When I got my most recent machine I discovered that it could have come in pink rather than gray. So I got the pink one. My doctor wanted the gray. My sleep center tech told me I had the right to choose my own machine but that many medical supply companies push a certain brand or machine because they make more money on it. Same with Doctors not because they get a cut but because they have favorites - usually for good reasons - they know your needs. My pink machine is not significantly different from the gray one and if I plan to own it for many years - which I do - I'd prefer the pink. The same machine from Res Med (S9 I believe) comes with plastic slip on sports teams covers.

[Pugsy]

My pink machine is not significantly different from the gray one and if I plan to own it for many years - which I do - I'd prefer the pink. The same machine from Res Med (S9 I believe) comes with plastic slip on sports teams covers.

The only difference between the S9 AutoSet in gray and the one offered in pink is the color. That's it. Otherwise the machines are identical. ResMed came up with the Pink color last year to celebrate breast cancer awareness.

Those sports team covers or skins...they don't come with the machines. They are an after market add on that is available to help personalize the S9 machines...any S9 machine.
There are a lot more than just sports themes available.

http://us-resmed.skinit.com/

animals...I loved several of those
http://us-resmed.skinit.com/skins/animals_and_nature

Plus a person can customize it by submitting their own photo if they had a mind to.

So any of the S9 machines can have various skins put on them but all are after market add ons and come with a price tag.
None are supplied as part of the original packaging though like your pink color machine.

[grammyc]

YES! You can buy your own CPAP machine as long as you get a doctor's prescription for one and know what your setting needs to be. You are not required to go through an insurance company or supplier who requires that you do. The suppliers that I've used that my insurance company paid for charged the insurance company more than twice as much as I purchased one for over the internet while on vacation several years ago. They also supplied me with more information about the machine settings than the other suppliers did. Sounds like a nice profitable racket going on by some suppliers. The sad thing is that my insurance company refused to pay anything for the one I bought myself even though it was the same machine from the same manufacturer that I originally had. I paid less than $500 for the one I bought, while it cost the insurance company more than $1200.

[Thewino]

Certainly you can purchase your own machine. On CPAP.com, all they ask is that you send them the prescription or provide them with your physician's information, which is what I did. So, I have an Rx on file at CPAP.com and can purchase anything I would like.

I got tired of dealing with my extremely rude DME employees and ordered a machine today on-line. Once it arrives, I'm bringing my rental back to my current DME and will never have them in my life again. I've never met a business with such rude people.

I've written my DME's home office about the worst customer-focused skills I have ever encountered which doesn't seem to matter as they never replied back.

Good Luck to you!

TheWino

[archangle]

Read the links in my signature line.

Find out if there is more than one DME who is "in network" for your insurance. Ask the other DMEs if they'll give you the machine you want.

[Stormynights]

I have bought four machines myself so far. Two from a forum member 3 years ago. Two on Craigs list. The first two I bought I gave away. I may be giving another away soon.

[avi123]

For my first machine the DME gave me a used Escape on Medicare rental. After a week I complained that I want one with data output. So they exchanged it with a used S9 Elite. After 3 months I wanted an S9 Autoset b/c Janknitz had one and talked very highly about it. But the DME said that I need an Rx from my Sleep Doc and it was too late to exchange the Elite. After I promised my Sleep Doc that I'll pay for it from my pockets he gave me an Rx. At this point I paid cash $830 to the DME for a "NEW" S9 Autoset flow generator. It uses the same dehumidifier as that for the S9 Elite. However, I am almost certain that the DME sold me a used S9 Autoset machine and not a new one. B/c they are first class thieves. Later, I got interested in a Resmed S9 BiLevel machine as Pugsy uses. So I got an Rx for it after I promised my Sleep Doc not to go thru Medicare. Trying to buy it thru an Internet provider on a Medicare rental they declined to do it b/c they are not Medicare provider. Eventually, I realized that I don't need it and I am better off with my S9 Autoset b/c my optimal max pressure is below 15 cm and by setting the EPR = 3, I should be ALL set. And I aime.

[Tcamillemars]

It's cheaper for me to buy a quality machine through cpap.com, than it is to pay the copay for a piece of crap from the dme. They even contacted my doctor the the Rx for me- I didn't have to do a thing.