CPAPtalk.com

Rastaman wrote:My my. I didn't have to sign ANY forms. Perhaps it's just by the chance that my insurance pays 100% and has no limit on DME.

My DME doesn't seem too organized. They had my insurance information, which was the only correct information they got from my sleep doc. They had to look me up in the phone book, which they did after about a week of trying to contact me at wrong phone numbers. But they DID have the right insurance info. Wonder what the docs office thought was the important info? By the way, the sleep doc had me document all current information before seeing me. Oh well.

Anyway, my insurance pays 100% after deductible. But they hadn't even checked my insurance at that point. Yeah, they gave me the impression that my treatment was the most important thing. NOT!

Wow! Looks like some basic lessons in economics, finance, and
accounting are in order on this site.

Anonymous wrote:Wow! Looks like some basic lessons in economics, finance, and accounting are in order on this site.

The folks on this site are NOT the ones you need to "preach" to.
You need to start with the manufacturers, Durable Medical Equipment conglomerates and the insurance industry.

The only preaching I see on this site is from the posts prior to me (the econ/finance/acctg. guy).

Anonymous wrote:Wow! Looks like some basic lessons in economics, finance, and
accounting are in order on this site.

Life, is a 61 year course, in economics, finance, and accounting, and a lot of us on this Forum have earned our Phd. I actually Graduated early, retired at age 57, but it turned out not to be early enough. Jim

We learned a long time age what makes the World go around, my education started the day I learned which direction Sewage ran, and I've been learning every since. Usually by experience.

I also am a Voter, I vote with my Billfold.

Anonymous wrote:Wow! Looks like some basic lessons in economics, finance, and accounting are in order on this site.

Well, it's getting to be a pretty long thread......lots of opinions.
I'd suggest that if you've got something informative to add......have at it.

In other words "Put up or shut up".

Den

Jim has pretty much spelled it out. He's voting with his wallet and he'd appreciate if we all did too. 'nuff said.

Rastaman wrote:Jim has pretty much spelled it out. He's voting with his wallet and he'd appreciate if we all did too. 'nuff said.

I vote with Jim!
As soon I find a better "Backup mask" I will put My UMFF up for sale for 40% less than I paid for it! (not all that thrilled with it anyway)

When visiting my DME today (Remstar went "plonk" and quit) I asked about prices going up.

DME resp therapist said that, "it won't matter how high the prices go, insurance will still cover whatever insurance wants to cover".

The folks at my DME have been very good to me. I've bought a couple of spare masks online and if I have to spend out of my own pocket I'm going to buy the best product at the cheapest price available.

Healthcare is in a serious dilemma. The prices of DME have no basis in reality, it's all about money as it relates to insurance. Those without insurance will suffer.

Hospitals are leaking money like sieves. So many folks show up at the emergency rooms without insurance that it's breaking down the system. Hospitals have to survive or we're all screwed.

It's a large problem and while I don't know the answers I do know that the problems are multi-layered and there is no easy fix.

OldSeaRock wrote:It's a large problem and while I don't know the answers I do know that the problems are multi-layered and there is no easy fix.

The fix is actually very simple. Absolutely no need for pessimism here. Free market economics works well.

Just think back on airline pricing. A few decades ago, prices for airflights were set by regulation. Airlines were inefficient and prices were high. Deregulation went into effect, and although airlines postponed the day of reckoning for many years, free market forces have finally taken over. Today low cost efficient carriers dominate the industry. Why would health care be any different if free market forces were allowed to operate?

We know, for example, that individuals on this forum are much better off making their own decisions regarding apnea treatment than the so-called professionals. Left to their devices, folks solicit the guidance of their "professionals" as needed, but do poorly when prescribed the one-size-fits-all treatment programs currently in vogue.

Regards,
Bill

OldSeaRock wrote:When visiting my DME today (Remstar went "plonk" and quit) I asked about prices going up.

DME resp therapist said that, "it won't matter how high the prices go, insurance will still cover whatever insurance wants to cover".

True, the sticker price at local DMEs has never reflected what they actually receive from insurance reimbursement. The local DMEs aren't affected by ResMed's action at all. In fact, it's geared to benefit them -- any internet sale of cpap equipment is money the local DME didn't get.

ReMed's impending price raise is directed at the online "DME's", as far as I could tell from the article that was posted. Sounds like ResMed is threatening the internet DME's with not letting them have any ResMed products at all if the internet stores do not "voluntarily" agree to tack 40% more onto the price of ResMed products sold online.

In other words, ResMed wants the online cpap machine/mask sellers to make ResMed products be as expensive to buy online as if you walked into a bricks and mortar DME store in your town to buy that same ResMed product.

So...the people who will get hurt are the uninsured who found their way to online stores to buy the equipment they need at lower prices than the local DMEs would charge them.

Who knows if the other major manufacturers will follow suit. Probably, eventually. Even if the others do it, too, I'll not buy another ResMed product, since they started it.

You're right, OldSeaRock. The health care dilemma in this country is a real problem -- multilayered. ResMed is about to shovel another layer on.

rested gal wrote:
In other words, ResMed wants the online cpap machine/mask sellers to make ResMed products be as expensive to buy online as if you walked into a bricks and mortar DME store in your town to buy that same ResMed product.

Hi Rested Gal:

Can you please define the terms you use, "as expensive as?" Maybe you were looking for the phrase "as much as."

It's kind of similar to how the Democrats never define how much money you have to make before you're deemed "rich" in their eyes.

Are you saying the DMEs don't have the right to charge their current prices for CPAPs? Regardless of their level of service (which is subjective in most cases) they still have to adhere to a business model that dictates their end-pricing.

CPAPs aside, all that most internet "companies" do is blur traditional ways of how a manufacturer goes to market since they don't adhere to any one specified selling area (hence defeating the whole purpose for manufacturers needing distributors in the first place)

Why are you so upset I did not DMES in this idea. ResMed is a dimethyl ether! ResMed's main concern is that insurance companies will reduce reimbursment, they will receive their machines less DMES.

alexjack wrote:Why are you so upset I did not DMES in this idea. ResMed is a dimethyl ether! ResMed's main concern is that insurance companies will reduce reimbursment, they will receive their machines less DMES.

ResMed is a dimethyl ether?! I wish I'd known that five years ago.

This thread was dead five years before alexjack joined, so I think it's unlikely anyone is upset that Alex "did not DMES in this idea."

Five posts. All to long dormant threads. And none of the posts make any sense at all. Is there a procedure for getting a registered spam bot banned?

Guest, you have to excuse Rested Gal, she spent her vast bank holdings signing up to CpapTalk dot Com, so she could help the people that visit here. Did you miss 9th grade high school, I think that's when they taught "Supply and Demand Economics", They even saw that we stayed awake most of the time. It came in handy for me, as I have found out I have to spend my money to get almost all I need.

One political party defines that the government should provide all, and to the fool that works for what he gets, too bad. The other party thinks that 5 to 10 percent of the country have the right to own everything, whether they earn it or not.

Normal hard working Americans are caught in the middle, as the loosers, having to pay both sides and live off the scraps they can hide.

Vote with your billfold, when you can, it's the only vote that's counted. Jim (Goofproof)