Rent CPAP Forever - Never Own

My insurance company (Aetna PPO) has recently changed their practice. Now they pay a rental fee to the DME for ~8 months. But the CPAP is never actually purchased. Instead, they pay a maintenance fee every 6 months. Reportedly, that is to provide me with coverage if the machine breaks. As a result, I will never own the machine, thus causing me problems if I change insurance companies as I will have to start over again, pay co-pays again, etc.

Have any of you run into this problem and been able to resolve it with the insurance carrier?

It's a very common practice and for the most part, is really a great deal for you.

I wrote a great deal on the details of comparing rent vs owning the equipment in another thread...

The thread is by Rastaman and titled "Should I buy or rent the cpap". It's just a little ways down. The thread was from today.

Bingo

The reply saying that this renting is a "great deal" is only a "great deal" if you stay with your current employer AND your benefits package doesn't get worse.

In this day and age I wouldn't bet on either situation as being true.

Only you can ESTIMATE the chances of one or both of these items remaining as is.

...what happens if you change insurance carriers?

If the DME gives you the CPAP you are no worse than you would have been if they bought you the CPAP and rented it to own for eight payments.

If the DME comes and gets the CPAP, this is another cost of changing employers or being fired.

When this happened to me (I was using my wife's insurance, they laid her off after the insurance had paid for the CPAP for 19 months) the DME said, you own it - keep it, don't bother us if it breaks. Actually they asked if I was using it and when I said, "every night" they said to keep it.

This was in 1990.

I can't imagine that policies are unchanged - but I also am not sure that they would come and get it if you are just paying a warranty payment.

Are you also with Medicare? Medicare gives the option of rent or buy. Rent and the DME gets a check every six months and is supposed to do repairs when necessary. Buy it and it's yours.

I believe most other insurers rent for 3 to 6 months (to be sure you're using it) and then buy it for you. Either way the DME wins.