cost of a auto cpap Canada vs U.S

[Sudsy]

Hello

I can't believe the price difference here in Canada. They want around 1800 dollars for the auto and on Cpap.com I can get the auto for around $800. How can there be such a price difference from U.S and Canada am I missing something.

Thanks
Sudsy

[roster]

Socialized medicine in Canada. But our government is trying to catch up with you.

[Treehorn]

This is just speculation on my part but I think it has more to do with the assised devices program in Canada pays for half.

Most products are priced at what the market will pay and in this case it seems that US$800/CAN$900 is what most people feel is the reasonable to pay for this product. But like I said Canadian government will pay 1/2 so the crooks at the medicial supply (DME) decide to charge $1800 because they are greedy.

Really you should be paying $450 and ADP pay $450 but unfortunately life is not fair sometimes.

Again, speculation on my part.

[Hose_Head]

That difference in price is not just for auto-paps. The same markup can be seen across the board for all related supplies (e.g. masks, filters, hoses, etc etc). The same difference applies in the USA, too, when you compare mail-order prices to prices from brick and mortar suppliers (DMEs).

DMEs have higher overheads than a mail order supplier such as cpap.com. They also should provide a much higher level of service than can be provided by mail-order. The reality, however, is that many (most?) DMEs fail to do their jobs, having succumbed to the profit motive. Thus, the prices for xpaps and supplies from most DMEs are little more than a rip-off.

A good DME can be worth its weight in gold for those who are just starting out. A good DME can assist to find the right equipment and a mask that fits and will follow up to ensure the best chances for long term compliance. Unfortunately, good DMEs seem to be rare.

Once you've been successful in your therapy, there's little need for a DME's services. Who needs private fitting when all you need is a replacement for a worn out mask or hose? This is where Resmed's policies re mail order sales of their products are completely off the mark, showing how out of touch Resmed is with the end-user.

Sorry for the rant. I agree with you that it's a sorry state of affairs. There is a significant business opportunity for mail-order supplier based in Canada (perhaps even a cpap.com satellite!). This would permit much better pricing, cheaper shipping, and greater availability of products (especially those from Resmed).

FWIW, I recall a thread a few months ago about a BC based DME that also sells via mail-order. My recollection was they they offered some competitive prices. Maybe someone else can provide the name and a link.

[Treehorn]

I just got reply from cpap.com that they can't ship my resmed mask to Canada. This sucks.

Local "mail-order" dme $400. Cpap.com $179.00

I am lucky to have a US address also but that means I will need to wait for my mask.

[Hose_Head]

This is just speculation on my part but I think it has more to do with the assised devices program in Canada pays for half.

Most products are priced at what the market will pay and in this case it seems that US$800/CAN$900 is what most people feel is the reasonable to pay for this product. But like I said Canadian government will pay 1/2 so the crooks at the medicial supply (DME) decide to charge $1800 because they are greedy.

Really you should be paying $450 and ADP pay $450 but unfortunately life is not fair sometimes.

Again, speculation on my part.

The Assistive Devices Program (ADP) is an Ontario program. It is not the Canadian Government.

ADP pays 75% of their schedule of costs for xpap. In 2008, when I got my apap, the prices were as follows:
cpap cost = $1040. ADP paid $780. Patient pays $260
apap cost = $1585 ADP paid $1188.75 Patient pays $396.25

These prices may have increased since 2008. You can google ADP; they have an useful FAQ, found here: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/pub ... /cpap.html

Note in this faq the following statement: "A respiratory vendor registered with the ADP may charge their clients less than the approved ADP price but may not charge more than the ADP approved price."

This means that your DME may be violating the ADP rule by charging $1800 for an apap where the max allowed is just $1585. (On the other hand, the $1585 amount may have changed, or your quoted $1800 price may include a mask?)

[kempo]

This is just speculation on my part but I think it has more to do with the assised devices program in Canada pays for half.

Most products are priced at what the market will pay and in this case it seems that US$800/CAN$900 is what most people feel is the reasonable to pay for this product. But like I said Canadian government will pay 1/2 so the crooks at the medicial supply (DME) decide to charge $1800 because they are greedy.

Really you should be paying $450 and ADP pay $450 but unfortunately life is not fair sometimes.

Again, speculation on my part.

" Canadian government will pay 1/2", Uh, no, no. The Canadian tax payers will pay 1/2. I would be will to bet the extra cost is for the huge government bureaucracy that attempts to manage that nightmare.

[Hawthorne]

As others have stated, the Assisitive Devices Program is in Ontario only NOT the whole of Canada.

In Canada, health care is administered by the Provinces, not the Federal Government and each Province does it differently.

[Treehorn]

I stand corrected. I didnt realize it was only Ontario. An wrong again on the amounts.

No harm intended, just a bad (and ill informed) memory.

I still more or less stand behind my theory that when a subsidy is offered in this way it rarely reduces the cost to the end user but rather just increases the overall profit of the one delivering the goods.

And for what its worth I would (and did) pay more for the services of a DME in the early stages of my therapy but its truly fustrating when you want a replacement component and see such huge price variations.

[cpapernewbie]

" Canadian government will pay 1/2"
if you live in BC, you pay 100% of the CPAP and mask cost, the government do not pay a single cent.
Be glad with what you have n Ontario and do not mention again the subsidies that you get there!

[BlackSpinner]

[quote="kempo"

" Canadian government will pay 1/2", Uh, no, no. The Canadian tax payers will pay 1/2. I would be will to bet the extra cost is for the huge government bureaucracy that attempts to manage that nightmare.[/quote]

No only in certain provinces and no there isn't a huge bureaucracy. There doesn't need to be because there is no approval needed for any standard procedures. No bureaucracy for dispersing payments because it is all automated too. Our health care costs a lot less per person then in the USA and we are proud to pay the taxes to keep it that way we are also not stupid enough to think any insurance company is going to do us one better.

[Treehorn]

" Canadian government will pay 1/2"
if you live in BC, you pay 100% of the CPAP and mask cost, the government do not pay a single cent.
Be glad with what you have n Ontario and do not mention again the subsidies that you get there!

But you get the nice weather and beautiful views in BC. We need to get some sort of carrot for living here.

[montana]

[quote="kempo"

" Our health care costs a lot less per person then in the USA and we are proud to pay the taxes to keep it that way we are also not stupid enough to think any insurance company is going to do us one better.

By the way many in us pay about that much via insurance...the DMEs double the cost and bill ins. Only thing I hate about the new US...health care is they still have insurance companies in the loop.

[blueboxer]

Isn't the internet wonderful?

I got misled into paying an outrageous price for my regular cpap machine; the handy great big drugstore chain did point out that Ontario would pay half the cost, and my supplemental medical insurance (needed to cover the extortionate cost of medical services when I travel in the U.S.) would cover much of the rest. IMHO any value added by the store was a fantasy, their stock was limited, the information dubious, and there was no sign the training "took" on the technician.

In a similar vein, I won't say what my wife paid there for a rollator walker for me when I was in hospital, reporting she got a discount - but Canadian Tire have since taken running specials offering the same model at half the price.

But as soon as I needed a new mask and heard the drugstore price, I got on the net, found cpap.com, and that was that. For teh record, after teh hefty shipping cost, dollar exchange and everything else, my cost delivered to my doorstep was less than half of the local plaza price.

I have been very noisy since with my doctor, my respirologist, various feoow OSA sufferers...

[kempo]

"Our health care costs a lot less per person then in the USA"

I agree with this statement. The main objective with a socialized health care is to save money. In the U.S. the main objective is to save lives.. If I need an MRI to see if I really need surgery quickly I can get. If your time is limited to get the correct procedure, who gives a crap what it cost. The internet is full of stories of people who had to come to the U.S. to get emergency procedures done because their country had "free health care" but it would take to long or the government said no to a certain procdure. I mean, once your dead, its over.

But it looks like the U.S. is headed toward " I trust my government to take care of my health care needs" attitude. The same government who has stolen all of the money out of every socialized program they ever came up with.

"The trouble with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money" Margaret Thatcher.