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Australians Not Well Served for CPAP
#11
RE: Australians Not Well Served for CPAP
[quote='holden4th' pid='152203' dateline='1456702044']
As an Australian and as I progress through my CPAP journey it's become very obvious that:

1 Sleep Disorders are not taken that seriously by our medical system (including health cover)

2 Australians pay more than premium for services and equipment.

For example: I am looking at the Resmed A10 autosense. It is priced here at $2000 yet I can get one from the US for half the price. The same goes for masks. I would like to try out an Amara View but at $300 from a well known Australian DME this is again twice the price I can get it from overseas.


I am an American patient and am grateful that we have easier access to machines at far lower cost. There is a real irony to this situation since the CPAP was invented and first produced in your wonderful country by Dr.Colin Sullivan and his associates. ResMed is descended from his work.

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#12
RE: Australians Not Well Served for CPAP
(02-28-2016, 06:27 PM)holden4th Wrote: As an Australian and as I progress through my CPAP journey it's become very obvious that:

1 Sleep Disorders are not taken that seriously by our medical system (including health cover)

2 Australians pay more than premium for services and equipment.

For example: I am looking at the Resmed A10 autosense. It is priced here at $2000 yet I can get one from the US for half the price. The same goes for masks. I would like to try out an Amara View but at $300 from a well known Australian DME this is again twice the price I can get it from overseas.

Is this some sort of rort where suppliers know they have got us by the 'short and curlies'? I What's even worse is that one well known brand of machine is even made here in Australia.

There does not seem to be any organised follow up system for sleep disorder patients. Once you've had your sleep study and titration you are on your own. The only recourse is your local GP who, to be fair, are not sleep disorder specialists.

All I can say is thank heavens for forums like this one or we would be just left hung out to dry.

Australian Suppliers #13 & #22 both have the Respironics Amara View FFM for sale @$A225 currently whereas American Supplier #19 who seem popular with Australian Cpap users have it for sale @$US169 which at the current Xchange rate as at today = $230.96...and I'm sure postage within Australia will come in far, far cheaper than obtaining it from the U.S.

Certainly buying supplies from the U.S. was a very attractive proposition going back a couple of years when the $A was parity with the $US but not so much now when $1A only buys $US.73.

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#13
RE: Australians Not Well Served for CPAP
(03-03-2016, 03:22 AM)Mutineer Wrote:
(02-28-2016, 06:27 PM)holden4th Wrote: As an Australian and as I progress through my CPAP journey it's become very obvious that:

1 Sleep Disorders are not taken that seriously by our medical system (including health cover)

2 Australians pay more than premium for services and equipment.

For example: I am looking at the Resmed A10 autosense. It is priced here at $2000 yet I can get one from the US for half the price. The same goes for masks. I would like to try out an Amara View but at $300 from a well known Australian DME this is again twice the price I can get it from overseas.

Is this some sort of rort where suppliers know they have got us by the 'short and curlies'? I What's even worse is that one well known brand of machine is even made here in Australia.

There does not seem to be any organised follow up system for sleep disorder patients. Once you've had your sleep study and titration you are on your own. The only recourse is your local GP who, to be fair, are not sleep disorder specialists.

All I can say is thank heavens for forums like this one or we would be just left hung out to dry.

Australian Suppliers #13 & #22 both have the Respironics Amara View FFM for sale @$A225 currently whereas American Supplier #19 who seem popular with Australian Cpap users have it for sale @$US169 which at the current Xchange rate as at today = $230.96...and I'm sure postage within Australia will come in far, far cheaper than obtaining it from the U.S.

Certainly buying supplies from the U.S. was a very attractive proposition going back a couple of years when the $A was parity with the $US but not so much now when $1A only buys $US.73.

Agreed that the masks are a no brainer and I'm going to get one from one of those sellers on the list, simply because they have a Gold Coast clinic and I can try it out before I buy it.

However, the machines are a different story........ Resmed is/was basd in Perth I believe.
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#14
RE: Australians Not Well Served for CPAP
Quote:Resmed is/was basd in Perth I believe.

Sydney - North Ryde if I remember rightly. I believe the design and manufacturing base are still there, not too sure about the corporate headquarters.

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#15
RE: Australians Not Well Served for CPAP
(03-03-2016, 05:02 AM)DeepBreathing Wrote:
Quote:Resmed is/was basd in Perth I believe.

Sydney - North Ryde if I remember rightly. I believe the design and manufacturing base are still there, not too sure about the corporate headquarters.

My Resmed Auto 10 That I got from supplier 10 was built in Singapore.
About ½ price even with shipping and poor exchange rate.
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#16
RE: Australians Not Well Served for CPAP
yeah my Auto 10 was built in Singapore

built in Singapore----> shipped to US----->shipped to Australia = AUD$1400 (30,000 km trip)
built in Singapore----> shipped to Australia = AUD$2000+ (6,000 km trip)

I have a US itunes and Australian account, same music is about 20% cheaper from US account with current exchange rates.

on the plus side, my overnight sleep study was around $800, of which medicare paid $500. I've read they are a lot more elsewhere.

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#17
RE: Australians Not Well Served for CPAP
(03-03-2016, 03:22 AM)Mutineer Wrote:
(02-28-2016, 06:27 PM)holden4th Wrote: As an Australian and as I progress through my CPAP journey it's become very obvious that:

1 Sleep Disorders are not taken that seriously by our medical system (including health cover)

2 Australians pay more than premium for services and equipment.

For example: I am looking at the Resmed A10 autosense. It is priced here at $2000 yet I can get one from the US for half the price. The same goes for masks. I would like to try out an Amara View but at $300 from a well known Australian DME this is again twice the price I can get it from overseas.

Is this some sort of rort where suppliers know they have got us by the 'short and curlies'? I What's even worse is that one well known brand of machine is even made here in Australia.

There does not seem to be any organised follow up system for sleep disorder patients. Once you've had your sleep study and titration you are on your own. The only recourse is your local GP who, to be fair, are not sleep disorder specialists.

All I can say is thank heavens for forums like this one or we would be just left hung out to dry.

Australian Suppliers #13 & #22 both have the Respironics Amara View FFM for sale @$A225 currently whereas American Supplier #19 who seem popular with Australian Cpap users have it for sale @$US169 which at the current Xchange rate as at today = $230.96...and I'm sure postage within Australia will come in far, far cheaper than obtaining it from the U.S.

Certainly buying supplies from the U.S. was a very attractive proposition going back a couple of years when the $A was parity with the $US but not so much now when $1A only buys $US.73.
Edit : Typo : That should have read US Supplier #10.
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#18
RE: Australians Not Well Served for CPAP
(03-03-2016, 05:02 AM)DeepBreathing Wrote:
Quote:Resmed is/was basd in Perth I believe.

Sydney - North Ryde if I remember rightly. I believe the design and manufacturing base are still there, not too sure about the corporate headquarters.

Resmed HQ is in Sydney at Bella Vista and they manufacture at Ryde also. They have a factory in Singapore as well. I have been dealing with them at Bella Vista directly over a warranty issue that was traced back to a faulty batch and they have been very open and honest and kept me in the loop as to the outcome. You need to make a lot of noise and remind equipment suppliers of their legal requirements and they listen. Dielaughing I have an Aust built machine, you can tell by the serial number. If it starts with 22 is an Oz machine.

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#19
RE: Australians Not Well Served for CPAP
(03-03-2016, 08:26 PM)Gyddyup Wrote: yeah my Auto 10 was built in Singapore

built in Singapore----> shipped to US----->shipped to Australia = AUD$1400 (30,000 km trip)
built in Singapore----> shipped to Australia = AUD$2000+ (6,000 km trip)

I have a US itunes and Australian account, same music is about 20% cheaper from US account with current exchange rates.

on the plus side, my overnight sleep study was around $800, of which medicare paid $500. I've read they are a lot more elsewhere.

My overnight sleep study was $450 for the first one and the second one, to confirm settings, was $250. I complained loudly about the price and bingo a discount of $200. Because sleep apnea is the new "black" in health, the industry seems to think that it is a money making exercise. Speak up, loudly, and watch the difference in attitude. And take your concerns to the relevant consumer department in your state and the Therapeutic Goods Administration in Australia. The more complaints the better it may get for the consumer/patient.
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#20
RE: Australians Not Well Served for CPAP
I have Medibank Private with top hospital and ancillaries (we get a big discount through my company). My sleep study cost nothing at all out of pocket. I had a four week follow-up (which stretched to seven with weekly consultations and lots of different masks to try) for $180 (got about half back) which was deducted from the price of the machine. Medibank reimbursed $500 on a $4000 VPAP Adapt! So swings and roundabout I guess - a free sleep study with all the fruit must be worth something.
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