for folks with multiple masks.......

does your insurance pay?? Or do you guys just bite the bullet and buyt from cpap.com. I am becoming obsessed with masks--I have 2 breezes and a swift and I want a confort lite and an aura-LOL.

I have been on PAP for about a year and a half. I have six masks, three of which the insurance company bought, three I have bought. Of the three that I bought, one was used that I purchased from a poster here.

I am not afraid of a used mask.

My INS one every 6 months. I just got F&P431 last week, ConfortFull FF was the first.

Sounds like someone here has a mask fetish! [/quote]

well im not afraid of a used mask either--anyone who might be selling an aura please PM me:):)

With my machine I got an Ultra Mirage II mask, very quiet and comfortable under 9cm but prone to leak into my eyes when the APAP gets to the top end of my 7-12cm range. I'm right between a "Large" and "Standard" sizes in that mask. So I went back to the DME and tried a different size UM-II as well as an Activa. Ended up with a Resmed full-face mask that works pretty well at all pressures. All that paid for by the insurance.

Out of my own pocket I bought a Swift from cpap.com and that's the mask I intend to use most often.

Honestly, I buy out of pocket when I feel like I have to try something new! If I'm looking out for my health, it's best for me to be as comfortable as possible so that I will stick to doing what is good for me!
In the 18 months that I have been on cpap, I've only requested one mask replacement from my insurance carrier. I bought 3 masks out of pocket in my first year (ultra mirage FF, Swift, Aura) When you add these to the Activa that I started out with and counting the mask I got from the sleep study (some leaky Respironics!), I currently have five masks to rotate as I need. (Right now, I'm eyeing the new pillow system from Repironics!)

insurance buys new mask and hose every 6 mos. Just ordered the Comfortlite2 mask. Been using a Mirage for the last 2 years.

2 on insurance
3 on me
1 as a gift

first was a contour mask (?) really lousy, DME handed me when I first got the machine.

then I bought a MiniNE
then I bought an Aura
then I was given an IQ mask
then I bought a nasalaire II

then at my 6 month mark I got another IQ from the DME on insurance's tab.

seems like a lot of masks even to me, quite extravagant, but I was desperate.

Cathy

My insurance picks up the cost of a new mask every six months.

I have in my collection (in chronological order of purchase):

1. Comfort Classic nasal mask
2. Ultra Mirage FF mask
3. ComfortFull FF mask
4. AEIOmed Headrest, aka Aura
5. Respironics Comfort Curve

I use the Ultra Mirage FF most of the time. The Headrest is too noisy for my liking, the Comfort Curve is unstable on my side, the Comfot Classic is not very comfortable for me and the ComfortFull is leaky.

Oh my.....it really looks like I've got a few masks

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): respironics, mirage, Aura, AEIOmed, Comfort Curve

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): respironics, mirage, Aura, AEIOmed, Comfort Curve

pharmwoman:

my insurance will pay something, but what percent i don't know. (they pay 50% for prescriptions.) life and the mask obsession moved faster than my ability to make appointments with the necessary docs to move forward my current cpap treatment. i was feeling desperate and exhausted because my fairly new HMO doesn't know i'm a cpap user. truth told, i feared they would not pay until/unless i had new sleep study. that may have been ridiculous on my part.

so i've spent a lot of money in the last month on masks, maybe/probably unnecessarily. and i'm not rich. but i do feel more rested, so much so that i actually feel hyper a lot and am having trouble adjusting to that. no, i'm not manic depressive.

i bought:

1) new activa on ebay--half price
2)new swift on yahoo--half price
3) f&p 431 from cpap.com
4)new UMFF --2/3 price on ebay

i've also been sorting out my cpap identity at the same time. i can wear all of these some of the time. i wish i could be a nasal user all the time, but i don't think it will happen. i am done paying for masks with my own money, but i would like to try an aura. so once i plug in my insurance, if they pay all, i will probably get an aura or i don't know what the new respironics is. i may, however, turn out to just be a UMFF user.

advice to you: i think mask paying is an individual issue of time, comfort, need and money--and obviously, insurance.

from my ebay/yahoo cruising in the last month, i can tell you that i've never seen an aura there. various comfort things, yes.

so you have to sort out what it's worth to you. find out what your insurance schedule is, and i assume you've used up your "new user" allowance?

caroline

My insurance (HPHC) pays for 4 masks a year. I use this option to try new masks if there are any I am interested in. Also, twice a year I put out the $48 to buy a replacement seal for my Activa from CPAP.com. I think I'm going to give up on the new trial masls. My luck hasn't been too good lately. For me, over the last couple years, everything comes up short when compared to my Activa. It works for me!

wow, thanks for all your great answers--my question is, tose of you with insurance, can you order from cpap.com or must you go back to your DME??My DME seems to have a limited selection. Thanks:):)