anyone else not using their insurance for supplies?

[funkymann1]

i have a POS Cigna plan & when i first started using my machine Aprea screwed me & automatically signed me up for auto supplies for tubing & masks, i saw my bill for like 400 bucks after the first delivery & cancelled it. im able to get a new P10 mask & 8 foot tube for only 80 bucks & last time it was 55 thru various sellers on Bonanza who are actually med stores around the usa. Its so sad that insurance plans can suck so bad!!! i even called Cigna who called Aprea & quoted me 200 bucks for a mask & tube...so sad!!!

[djont57]

Yes, I have a $4,500 deductible. My DME charged me $350 for a Resmed F20 & $1,500 for a Resmed Auto Sense 10. I wished I would have found this web site first, I thought that's just what these things cost. I will never by anything from them again.

[chunkyfrog]

There is hope for the previously milked.
My insurance was good for my first machine, and the first 3 masks.
After that, it was the sponsors of this forum all the way.
Thank you, cpap.com.

[Rob K]

A lot of us have high deductibles and buy supplies without insurance to save a ton of money. The prices they get for the same equipment through insurance is ridiculous. My insurance is kind of lame since they only negotiate the price down maybe like 10%. Thus I'm paying $300 some bucks for a $400 mask that you can buy on-line for a 1/4 of the price. I have a lot to say about that, but won't.

[chunkyfrog]

Others have already said it, anyway.

[RiverDave]

A lot of us have high deductibles and buy supplies without insurance to save a ton of money. The prices they get for the same equipment through insurance is ridiculous. My insurance is kind of lame since they only negotiate the price down maybe like 10%. Thus I'm paying $300 some bucks for a $400 mask that you can buy on-line for a 1/4 of the price. I have a lot to say about that, but won't

I spend about $300 a year on necessary supplies. My deductible is >$2000. Why would I use insurance - to get billed at 3X the price????

[LSAT]

A lot of us have high deductibles and buy supplies without insurance to save a ton of money. The prices they get for the same equipment through insurance is ridiculous. My insurance is kind of lame since they only negotiate the price down maybe like 10%. Thus I'm paying $300 some bucks for a $400 mask that you can buy on-line for a 1/4 of the price. I have a lot to say about that, but won't

I spend about $300 a year on necessary supplies. My deductible is >$2000. Why would I use insurance - to get billed at 3X the price????

I don't know what you spend $300 on. I have Medicare and can get all the supplies I want. I don't need them. I take 1 new mask cushion and 1 tube a year. Throw in a couple filters and my retail supplies are under $100.

[chunkyfrog]

I found Medicare coverage for DME to be much better than the private insurance I had while working.
Private insurance was better for drug costs, in my case.
The cost of private insurance varies greatly.
Everybody needs to do their research, just to stay out of the poor house.

[zoocrewphoto]

I rarely make my deductible, so I just try to stay ahead by checking craigslist or ebay for good deals. I got lucky awhile back and got a bunch of masks for the cost of shipping. I think it was 10 or 13 masks for only $28. My mom and I both use the same style and size mask. She can get by with one cushion a year, and I only need two cushions a year. So, even if we use a new mask every time we need a new cushion, we will be good for a few years at least. And we will have a bunch of frames. I still use my first two frames. So, before this awesome find last November, I would just buy a couple cushions each year. I still have a ton of filters, two complete machines, and a spare hose.

The only thing I want is smaller size headgear, which I do watch for. My new masks have standard headgear, so I have to customize them to make them fit. But they were dirt cheap, so I can deal with that.

[Cardsfan]

I do both, go through insurance so it applies to my deductible, and I also order from www.cpap.com and other online sellers. For bigger expenses like mask and machine, I definitely want that to apply to my deductible, so I use my insurance. The cost is the same as ordering online. But, I have the hassle of dealing with Lincare with my insurance. For smaller cost items, like filters, the hassle of ordering from Lincare several time a years just irritates me. I'd rather order filters in bulk online once a year and pay myself and be done with it. For trying new masks, I order online, and get the 30 day return insurance. My insurance (Lincare) won't let me return masks I don't like. When or if I meet my deductible, I will order it all from my insurance DME.

[Okie bipap]

I get most of our supplies through our insurance (Medicare). I purchase small items (filters) and occasional masks from our forum sponsor, on eBay, or from other forum members.

[dream321]

Yup. I’ve been buying them on Amazon and eBay. Eventually, when I need to buy a new CPAP machines, I’ll probably go with an online DME since the price seems to be around $800. Much less than Dr office DME.

[Janknitz]

I did a little happy dance when I lost my DME coverage for CPAP with Kaiser because it means I don't have to deal with Crapria any more! I buy whatever I want, when I want off of Amazon mostly and sometimes our hosts. It doesn't end up costing me much more than out of pocket when I did have coverage, and NO hassles--that's priceless.

I know I will feel it if I have to replace my machine, but I know how to find a good used one.

I heard a rumor that Kaiser is now sending people on their Medicare C plan (Kaiser Senior Advantage) supplies via Amazon--maybe they finally got wise to the crap Crapria was always pulling, too!

[chunkyfrog]

Not having to play the DME/BCBS shell game: PRICELESS!

[D.H.]

I do sometimes order chin straps as I want to replace them more frequently than my insurance allows.

My old insurance (pre-2010) di not pay for supplies. It's funny that this was the same insurance that paid for the original CPAP at the rate of 100%. The good think about that was that I was able to comparison shop and to claim that expenditure on my FSA account.