How do y'all afford all this stuff??!

[Goofproof]

I know SOMEBODY is benefiting from the hundreds of dollars in insurance premiums that are withheld from my paycheck each month.......but it ain't me.
Den

You are lucky, you don't have my INS., so you aren't helping pay mine either. I signed on for lifetime full medical benefits in 1978, when I retired early after 25 years, (17.5 working not laid off), Everything was OK for a year and 1 1/2, then the company that was responsiable for paying my premiums filed chapter 11 and stopped paying. A federal Court Judge, who was getting lifetime medical, from the Government, denied our right, to out contracted medical. The U.M.W.A. Union, took up the fight, and we were placed in a fund that covers deadbeat mining companies, and that's where we stand today. Everyone hates unions, I don't, I'd be the ground, if it wasn't for the union, and more people would be working as slaves in the U.S. The Union people I worked with, weren't lazy or expected to have their checks handed to them, we produced product and gave it 110% every night, in conditions that most couldn't handle, part of why I am in the shape I am. I call it, "Rode Hard and Put Away Wet", in my case it was usually put away oily and wet. Jim

[tomjax]

When I was dx'd with OSA in 1996, I was totally ignorant of PAP and simply followed what the sleep lab/dme told me.
I had insurance and paid whatever the deductible they told moi.
When I decided I needed a backup, I started looking around and bought from Yahoo and E_BAY auction.
I knew thay ebay would remove cpap, so I looked at newly listed and contacted the seller to contact me if the listing was removed.
I bought a remstar plus and a remstar Auto this way and paid about 225.00 for new ones.
I bought breeze masks this way.

If I need one now, I would go to craigs list and search many big cities and make a deal there.

I have not used insurance since the first one.
If anyone chooses to spend their money full price from the DME's, this is their choice, but I consider this an ignorance tax.
tomjax

[westbeez]

I don't have insurance at all, I found everything I needed on the internet new for under $400. The local DME was talking $1300. for me with no ins. and I'm self employed too. Look around I just purchased my second mask new online for $6.00 sure beats $150. at the local dme. Hang in there you'll love it!!!

[cflame1]

I've got a $2500 deductible... only other choice was no insurance at all (and changing employers is not an option at the moment). I purchased my machine from an auction, found a mask that I liked and stuck with it (only getting a new one when/if either it breaks or my deductible is met). Oh and I bought the software, good investment.

Anything else... is a little piece at a time when I can afford it.

[hkins]

When I was diagnosed in early 2000, my sleep doc recommended 3 home health care/medical supply companies, but none of them ever followed through on appointments or on what they promised to do. I was so frustrated that I bought my own cpap and gear for cash at an online store, much to my sleep doc's horror. It took threats of action with the state insurance commissioner to get BC/BS to reimburse me, but eventually they did for the cpap and humidifier.

Then the dot com crisis hit, and we lost our company and pretty much everything of value we owned. We had no insurance for a long time and even ended up at a food bank on a couple of occasions. Needless to say, I wouldn't have been able to afford equipment rental without any insurance. Buying my own equipment probably saved my life (I have very severe apnea).

Now we have insurance, but from another company. I've had the same cpap I bought originally eight years ago, and since I can put up with even a poorly fitting mask for awhile and mix and match parts of oldies when I can (especially headgear), I don't end up spending much out of pocket on them. I haven't bothered to bill insurance for them, since the hassle is probably not worth the effort.

I am getting worried about a cpap failure and power outages, and am considering trying to get a prescription from my sleep doc for one with battery backup. It's been a couple years since my last sleep test, and the results were the same, but I don't know if he'll write a new prescription, since he feels so strongly that people should have some outside supervision over their equipment. If I'm successful getting a scrip, I may try sending my receipt for the new cpap to my insurance company, but I'm not expecting it to be honored. The new cpap will probably end up replacing my Christmas present/family HDTV, if the economy doesn't tank before then. We're trying to save for it.

Anyway, that's what I do--just use everything for as long as I can, and buy something new (like a different mask) when finances look a little happier than usual.

[jgolomb]

Guess I was lucky when it came to my CPAP initiation. The Doc picked the DME provider (I didn't know there was a choice) and it was an excellent choice.

There are two things I have run into that I have not seen mentioned yet that might help some others out there.

First - One of my CPAP co-workers (I work in a place with 3 other CPAP users) told me that under our insurance you have to pay co-payments of $10-12 a month for a year and after that if the Doc submits a statement that the machine is permanently necessary to sustain life, the insurance company pays for the machine and the co-pays stop. My experience was slightly different in that my DME provider got the Doc's statement right away (I didn't have to do a thing) and I only had to pay 1 or 2 co-pays and it was mine. So check your policies, maybe there is a special clause for life sustaining equipment...

Second - My original CPAP start beeping and displayed a message to get the unit serviced. This happened late one night so I unplugged it, restarted it and went back to sleep forgetting all about it. A couple of weeks later it happened again so I called the DME provider and they said the unit had a 2 year warranty (it was only about 6 months old) and that they would be out the next day to replace it. Next day a new one was was delivered but instead of the "plain Jane" M-Series Bi-Flex they bumped me up to an APAP with data card saying that it cost them less than the old model so they were upgrading me. So if your machine is still under warranty and it says it needs servicing call your DME provider they might replace it (starts the warranty anew?) and you might get a newer model or be able to negotiate for one...

Now don't ask me to recommend my DME provider to you, I just got the news that they were bought up by another company and don't know what to expect.

Hope this information is useful to some of you.

[lookin4sleep]

You are lucky, you don't have my INS., so you aren't helping pay mine either. I signed on for lifetime full medical benefits in 1978, when I retired early after 25 years, (17.5 working not laid off), Everything was OK for a year and 1 1/2, then the company that was responsiable for paying my premiums filed chapter 11 and stopped paying. A federal Court Judge, who was getting lifetime medical, from the Government, denied our right, to our contracted medical. The U.M.W.A. Union, took up the fight, and we were placed in a fund that covers deadbeat mining companies, and that's where we stand today. Everyone hates unions, I don't, I'd be the ground, if it wasn't for the union, and more people would be working as slaves in the U.S. The Union people I worked with, weren't lazy or expected to have their checks handed to them, we produced product and gave it 110% every night, in conditions that most couldn't handle, part of why I am in the shape I am. I call it, "Rode Hard and Put Away Wet", in my case it was usually put away oily and wet. Jim

I get ya, Jim, it seems that many people don't know what they owe to unions and the fights they have made for the people (as distinct from the companies and corporations) for basic rights and human needs. As they say, "Unions, the people who brought you the weekend!"

Glad you have coverage rather than being out in the cold (or down in the cold).

Chris