Cpap purchase advice

I just checked with my Empire Blue insurance plan on my coverage for a new machine. They said they cover 50% of DME.

I am in NYC. He is emailing me a list of DMEs.

My next question is, what is usually a better deal. Using your insurance thru DME or taking your prescription directly to cpap.com as people have said they save more money that way.

Also, besides having a machine that gives data, what else should I look for? I use nasal mask and supposedly receive effective therapy at 9cm. I have yet to determine if I need to increase that. I also am a tosser and prone to leaks. Are there certain machines that are well suited for certain people? Would cpap be best for me or autopap? Or whatever. Seems to be a whole family of paps now

Axxel wrote:Would cpap be best for me or autopap?

No way to know for sure which would suit you the best. My advice get APAP so you can try it if your wish, it can also be used in straight cpap mode.. so 2 machines in one.

Compare prices at DME. With insurance paying only 50% and you may also have a deductible in there and if your insurance goes the monthly rent to own thing there will be another deductible in January.

To give you an example of prices. My machine and its humidifier (yes, it needs the one made for it) costs $635 from cpap.com. You can click on the link to my machine in my profile to see it. It is an APAP.

ResMed S9 Autoset with its humidifier runs around $1100. I forget the exact amount.

Pugsy wrote:

Axxel wrote:Would cpap be best for me or autopap?

No way to know for sure which would suit you the best. My advice get APAP so you can try it if your wish, it can also be used in straight cpap mode.. so 2 machines in one.

Compare prices at DME. With insurance paying only 50% and you may also have a deductible in there and if your insurance goes the monthly rent to own thing there will be another deductible in January.

To give you an example of prices. My machine and its humidifier (yes, it needs the one made for it) costs $635 from cpap.com. You can click on the link to my machine in my profile to see it. It is an APAP.

ResMed S9 Autoset with its humidifier runs around $1100. I forget the exact amount.

Are prescriptions required at cpap.com?

Your APAP is data capable? Does APAP also mean its bi directional? The pressure is only there during inhaling and not exhaling?

Are prescriptions required at cpap.com?

Your APAP is data capable? Does APAP also mean its bi directional? The pressure is only there during inhaling and not exhaling?[/quote]


Yes Rx required at cpap.com
APAP is CPAP with Auto pressure settings. In other words, you can run in a straight cpap mode with a constant pressure or you can run in auto mode with a range of pressure.
Data capable is a machine that will give you more than compliance or hours used. Data like leak, flow, AHI, minute by minute picture of how your night looked.

Prescriptions are required for cpap.com. Federal law requires them from any medical supplier. The only way to get around the prescription is to go second hand, like Craigslist.

If you need bipap, you are looking at considerable more money. You can click on the equipment in my profile to see an example of a bi-level machine. I couldn't tolerate exhaling against the pressure, so my sleep lab and doctor put me on bi-level.

Pugsy wrote:

Axxel wrote:Would cpap be best for me or autopap?

No way to know for sure which would suit you the best. My advice get APAP so you can try it if your wish, it can also be used in straight cpap mode.. so 2 machines in one.

Compare prices at DME. With insurance paying only 50% and you may also have a deductible in there and if your insurance goes the monthly rent to own thing there will be another deductible in January.

To give you an example of prices. My machine and its humidifier (yes, it needs the one made for it) costs $635 from cpap.com. You can click on the link to my machine in my profile to see it. It is an APAP.

ResMed S9 Autoset with its humidifier runs around $1100. I forget the exact amount.

I just read the specs on your machine. It sounds quite impressive. It says it can detect beyond normal ahi but also central apnea, snoring and hypopnias and even RERAs. Thats cool. How well has it worked for you?

The range of pressures with an APAP is different than the range of pressures with BiPap.

My range is 10 minimum and 20 maximum. Sometimes it never varies much from 10 cm...sometimes it does vary a lot.
I do have exhale relief but it is not the per cm drop that BiPap offers. I do not have a set pressure for inhale and another for exhale. If I only need 11 cm pressure all night then it won't vary when I exhale.

With BiPap there is a set pressure for inhale and a set pressure for exhale. They can vary widely.

I don't have any trouble exhaling against 10 cm nor even the higher pressures I sometimes see. So I don't really need a BiPap even though I sometimes see higher pressures.