cpap.com vs dme

[mattman]

I agree. We should be thanking Congress and our legislatures for protecting us from unscripted chin straps.

We should also be thanking mattman for pointing these wise laws out and for following them. After all, non-scripted chin straps could cause a minor skin rash or they might snap and sting our cheeks. How else could we have cradle to grave security and safety?

What the hell?! Why are you being so freaking nasty about this?

I even AGREED with you that it's stupid. I even pointed out further stupidity about it.

And you respond with this sort of comment? And people wonder why I just start to ignore threads after a post or two....

m

[TANSTAF1]

mattman, sorry.

I wasn't intending to be nasty to you (nasty to Congress, yes).

Initially I actually thought the need for a script for a chin strap was a joke. I was sincere when I was thanking you for bringing to our attention that it was not. I just wish enough of us cared about this to do something about it.

I also appreciate that you have to follow the laws no matter how foolish they are. Since we live in a system in which the laws can be changed (if enough people want it), then we have to live by them or we will have anarchy.

I am glad I do not have to walk a mile in your shoes trying to comply with these foolish laws.

Please re-read what I wrote as I think you weere misinterpreting it.

[allend]

I agree. We should be thanking Congress and our legislatures for protecting us from unscripted chin straps.

We should also be thanking mattman for pointing these wise laws out and for following them. After all, non-scripted chin straps could cause a minor skin rash or they might snap and sting our cheeks. How else could we have cradle to grave security and safety?

Tanstaf1, I take issue with your smack down of medical insurance being provided to employees and your feeling we don't need regulations. Because of the horizontal size of the postings on this page, I wasn't able to see who wrote what I quoted from you but as soon as I read the first sentence, I realized it was posted from the same guy who wants medical savings accounts.

No question there is waste in our system. It's hard not to have waste when taking care of 300 million people. What I really can't stand is the Republic conservative" philosophy that some things have to be changed right away and not others. They are ready to take away medical insurance from all employees who have made that part of their compensation package but the pee in their pants when we talk about setting the tax rates back to where they were before Reagan and now Bush gutted the US Treasury with gifts to the wealthiest Americans.

Let's do it all. Take away medical insurance from all employees and add $15,000 a year to everyone's salary and return to the pre Reagan top tax brackets of 50% on earned income (like salaries) and 70% on unearned income like dividends and interest.

The whining incontinent Republics are terribly upset that they are now paying 15% tax on dividends! Can you believe that? “Old money” and the trust fund dilettantes like George W. with millions in dividends are paying 15% on their unearned inherited income when hard working Americans are paying 35% plus 7.65% for Social Security. Dividends are not taxed by Social Security.

So, when you talk about taking away medical insurance from hard working Americans, be careful where you spread that Republic BS because people are starting to find out just how selfish and conniving those in the Republic Party are!

Sorry for the rant but we Democrats have to start pulling the covers off the lies that Republics tell people who don't know any better! I am in no way saying the things you said were lies, just simply and conveniently misleading. Is is time for EVERYONE to speak up when that kind of Republic Party BS is spouted out. Actually, it is long overdue.

You are correct that preventing someone from legally buying a chinstrap is foolish but so as not to micromanage life, isn't it better that Congress doesn't have to waste time debating chinstraps and includes it in an overall policy of medical stuff has to be prescribed. If it is ridiculous, you buy it and take the consequences that will never happen.

Also, if every American paid their own medical expenses, cpap.com or other dot.com keystroke supplying DMEs would not get paid $299 for a mask when they pay $165 for it but those who need support go to DME's. Imagine if we could get all this stuff at CVS or our local competitive drug stores...but we cannot do that yet and spouting out the removal of medical insurance is arrogant and selfish. Ther are abuses. The blue green plastic cushion brace for the Activa should cost one dollar, it's $26 on cpap.com and better still, the forhead pad at https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... -pads.html is $60 f$%#%g dollars. But there are better ways to fix these problems than taking away everyone's medical insurance and imagine what the emergency rooms in our hospitals would be like if we did?


Allen

[dataq1]

I'll stake my neck it is not my sleep lab delaying the billing to Medicare for my CPAP.

The day my sleep pulmo and I agreed on what equipment, he wrote the order and the staff FAXed it to the xPAP DME as I stood there chatting w/the sleep lab manager.

Hi Slinky:
I'd be very inclined to agree with you about the delay in filing a claim. I watch medicare claims very carefully for my parents, unfortunately it is only after medicare makes a decision that a claim will show up in either mymedicare.com or a paper EOB from CMS (at least my experience). Prior to that the only way I've been able to establish that a claim was filed and when it was filed is to call the DME, and then take their word for it.

I don't know if you noticed my post several posts back to mattman that spoke to the process that is followed in my area. When you think about it it only makes sense that a DME would try to be sure that all the paperwork (scripts, insurance, PSGs etc were in place BEFORE issuing equiptment. Is it a legal requirement? I'm not in a position to answer that, but it wouldn't suprize me if it were. --- On that basis, I really have to concur with your assessment.
Best,

[dataq1]

Hi mattman;
Please do hang in there with us !
I specifically posted the EOB on the hybrid mask for you.
I'm also interested in your comments in reply to the way my wife described the issuance of xPAP equipment in our area (posted above). Is this a common process used in your area or with your company. As my wife tells me, it puts the onus of getting the original paperwork on the prescribing physician. Your company should not have to spend hours and lose days because the prescribing physician hasn't done their part.

Yes, I too believe that requiring a Rx for a chinstrap is "over-the-top", but it's the rules, and I respect that you do everything to abide by those. Someday the DMEs and the consuming public may be able to correct it.

Any way, as I said, hang in there, I for one (while I might not always agree with you), respect your perspective and what you have to say.
Cheers,

[Wulfman]

We need chinstrap registration! And a 15 day waiting period.

"When chinstraps are outlawed, only outlaws will have chinstraps."

I have a "Full (Auto) Face Mask"......they'll have to pry it from my cold dead face.

Den

[TANSTAF1]

allend,

You sure know how to kill a country by stifling its economy and controlling everyone's life. But some of us smart, PC people know better what is good for others than we do ourselves.

FYI, I would like to change a lot more than just MSA's -I mentioned those only because this is a medical forum. I would have no problem with taxing dividends and "unearned" income at the prevailing income tax rate (which should be basically flat with no deductions), provided we also simultaneously eliminate corporate taxes, otherwise that is double taxation. I'd love to get 50% of the Soros, Buffet, Kennedy, Heinz(Kerry) and (yes, even) the Bush billions - that might even put a (small) dent in the treasury!

TANSTAF1 stands for "There Ain't No Such Thing As a Free One." Someone pays. Just who that is, may not be immediately obvious. If the "law" of supply and demand were to be allowed to prevail, what we pay would bear a close relationship to the production cost. Waste would be minimized.

Many politicians (both Democrat and Republican, but the Democrats have down it for many decades and the Republicans not very well, nor for very long) continue their high life by buying votes with bread and circuses and hiding the true cost of their programs and their laws. The power keepers try to hide the true cost as well as they can. Unfortunately because of the law of unintended consequences, we get $60 forehead pads. (Once we open the borders and get amnesty for illegals, the pads with be $180.)

I, like you, am trying to pull the covers off the lies, the coverups, and the vote buyings, otherwise it will no longer be America Alone, it will be none. Unlike you I am trying to do this with respect to the power keepers who got us into this mess. I am not sure what your "fix" is for these problems, but usually the power keepers' "fixes" just make the matter worse in time. Unfortunately we may be too far down the Road to Serfdom to reverse course.

It's too bad we can't take this to another sub-forum, but unfortunately there is no "off topic" one here. I will try to resist responding to your rebuttal as it is obvious that we will just have to agree to disagree.

[Rabid1]

Could someone PLEASE show me a federal regulation that prohibits the sale of chin straps etc....

I don't think it exits, except in Matt's mind.

[DreamStalker]

allend,

You sure know how to kill a country by stifling its economy and controlling everyone's life. But some of us smart, PC people know better what is good for others than we do ourselves.

... provided we also simultaneously eliminate corporate taxes, ...

What are you talking about? It is the corporations that own our government leadership ... whether Dem or Rep, that is just a shell game used to keep the masses guessing.

Why should coporations get a "free one"? They get to use our infrastructure (paid for with our hard earned tax dollars) to make their profits. Corporations are defended by our military so they can secure their profits.

[TANSTAF1]

dreamstalker, where do the corporations get the money to pay their taxes?

The answer: from you and other consumers (from the increased selling price for their goods and services to cvoer the cost of those taxes).

If corporations didn't pay taxes, in a free society and in one in which the government has not aided and abetted a monopoly or has regulated prices, they would have to reduce the price for their product or service, or a competitor would do so and take their business away. They would not get a "free one." Their revenues would be decreased and their owners (stockholders) would be getting less earnings and be paying higher income taxes for those earnings.

Follow the money.

But, we can't do away with corporate taxes because of government established monopolies and/or price regulations.

[mattman]

Could someone PLEASE show me a federal regulation that prohibits the sale of chin straps etc....

I don't think it exits, except in Matt's mind.

Yeah, I'm just making it all up.... I enjoy making life more difficult for myself and my customers. It's all part of my evil plot to drive myself bankrupt! One of these days I'll show myself! Man I hope when it happens I'm there to watch too!

Oh, and here's one I had handy. This is, as it says, from a softcap. Yes, a piece of elastic!!

mattman

[mattman]

mattman, sorry.

I wasn't intending to be nasty to you (nasty to Congress, yes).

No worries aye? The one line about 'thanking me for pointing out the wise law...' made me think you were! No blood no foul.

[mattman]

Hi mattman;
Please do hang in there with us !
I specifically posted the EOB on the hybrid mask for you. etc ....

I did see that. I haven't had more than a couple minutes and wanted to really read through that and get back to you. More later!

m

[guest1112]

There is no federal law on these items that applies to states. The FDA requires the manufacturers to put the statement on the bag. That does not make a law.

Again, post the law. No law? Case closed.

[TANSTAF1]

With regard to the "wise" law I was being sarcastic. Obviously I think it is a foolish/stupid law (or more likely a regulation).

While I expect the worse of Congress and the government, I would not have expected them to go so far as to require a prescription for a chin strap, so I truly was thanking you for pointing that out to us.

I assume it is really more of a regulation, or interpretation of a law done by an entrenched government bureaucrat who knows that we are not competent to select and purchase a chin strap ourselves.

I also meant it when I said I appreciate what you have to go through to follow all their rules and regs - hell hath no fury like a woman, or a bureaucrat scorned.

Fortunately for us, there are still ways to get around some of these laws and this is part of the reason why this forum is here.