Need Help From Those Who Know

[bjdare]

Will try and keep this short and sweet. When first diagnosed with OSA & I went thru' Apria was was given a bottom of the line machine which I "owned" after 13 months of rental. I found this board shortly into my therapy, learned a lot and ending up buying an APAP outright. The cheap Apria machine has been in the closet since. Apria has been billing me yearly for a "maintenance contract" to the tune of $100 annually (mind you, they have not touched the machine since the day they handed it over to me.) I was told "they have a contract with Aetna (my insurance carrier) and that I HAD to pay the bill". So I did. I have not dealt with Apria in over a year - as of 2012 I no longer have Aetna as my insurance. I never signed anything with Apria, nor was I ever advised that I would be billed this "maintenance fee" until I inquired about it a year ago. I JUST received another bill for this "maintenance fee" and quite honestly, I've had enough!

Does anyone know if I am under any legal obligation to pay this? Apria wants my new insurance info and you can bet I'm NOT providing that - in fact I will NEVER again do business with these crooks...however, my fear is that may have access to this information without my knowledge.

I would truly appreciate hearing from anyone who has reliable knowledge in this area and can offer a suggestion in how to best go forward with this issue. As you can imagine, I have a suggestion for Apria that can't be stated here.

Thank you.

[osmium sleeper]

I would contact your state medical board to see if they have any authority to bill you. If not, you are free!

[Lizistired]

Why can't you just call them and tell them you are discontinuing your maintanance contract. It's like having full coverage on a car that is paid off... and you aren't even driving it!
Honestly, I have never heard of such a thing, but since you mention it and my machine was recently paid off through Apria, I think I will go read the fine print on that contract again!

[Janknitz]

Tell them you are not paying them another penny until they show you where you agreed to pay a yearly maintenance fee and for how long. My guess is that they cannot produce the paper obligating you to this. IF they cannot produce anything, tell them to whistle Dixie and inform them that if they try to take you to collections you will report them for fraud to whatever state agencies govern them in that state, plus Medicare if your insurance is a Medicare supplement.

[bjdare]

Thank you for your replies. I seem to be like a dog chasing it's tail trying to get Aetna to provide me with their policies directly relating to the rental / purchase of my cpap equipment. I was "told" from both Apria and Aetna at the beginning of this saga that the machine would be a rental for the first 13 months and then would be considered "fully purchased". My problem is getting Aetna to provide this information to me in writing. The back of the Apria Sales, Service and Rental Agreement is so convoluted that I can't make any sense of it. Of course, on the original contract (from the day I got the machine) it's listed as a "rental" - I wasn't alarmed by that since I was told that was how Aetna initially handles it. At this point, neither Aetna or Apria seem to be willing to tell me if I actually "own" the machine.

I've gotten cranky in my old age, so I'm keeping my dog in this fight! If anyone else has any words of wisdom for me - please feel free to express them.

Thanks again to those who replied!

[ameriken]

My problem is getting Aetna to provide this information to me in writing.

Then their problem should be getting you to provide them a check.

[kteague]

My only advice is in general. When making calls, ask the name of anybody you speak with and make sure they know you are writing it down. Clarify with them the exact date on which you can expect them to follow up. When they don't produce, quote them verbatim by name and state your dissatisfaction in writing with copies to everyone from the top down in the organization. Whether you choose to play hardball and not pay probably depends on how concerned you are over your credit, because it could end up in collection and may take a while to undo. It is my understanding that one has the right to challenge any items on their credit report. The company then has 30 days to provide documentation proving the debt is legit. If they cannot, the item is released by the credit bureau. Now, it's been a while since I was advised that by a credit counselor, so don't take my word that the info is current or applicable everywhere. At any rate, tell them in writing with a letter that requires a signature upon receipt that you are requesting proof of indebtedness.

[bjdare]

Well, this should come as no surprise ... Aenta just informed me of the following "A CPAP machine is for rental only, it can not be purchased under your plan." Certainly, this was NOT what I was told when first getting my CPAP, nor what I expected. However...such is life ... So, I will be marching myself and the CPAP machine to the local Apria office and telling them I am returning the machine and from this point forward, they are no longer my DME. Since I no longer have Aenta insurance and Apria has no idea who or if I'm insured, I don't BELIEVE this should be a problem. HOWEVER, if any of you are aware of any problems I could run into, or have any advice on how to best "cover my butt" in this matter, I would truly appreciate hearing from you.

Once again, I thank you for your time, advice and help!

[ChrisD]

bjdare - when you turn the machine in, make absolutly sure you get a receipt showing what exactly you turned in to them. Insist that the receipt shows make/model and serial numbers of all the equipment you returned.

Good Luck,
Chris