Hello Guest, Welcome to Apnea Board !
As a guest, you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use.
To post a message, you must create a free account using a valid email address.

or Create an Account


New Posts   Today's Posts

CPAP Rent from DME
#1
CPAP Rent from DME
Hi, I'm currently renting my Resmed Airsense 10 from my DME. I'm only into my second month. The DME said my insurance will pay for the rental for 12 to 13 months. They're currently billing $251 per month to my insurance. I've already met my deductible so I only have to pay for 25% of that per month. At the being of the year, I'll have to sign up for a new insurance plan and meet my new deductible before insurance starts to kick in. I'm thinking it might be cheaper to try to buy one than do the rent to own deal but exploring options.

Is it possible to switch DME's? If so, what happens to machine I'm currently renting?
Post Reply Post Reply
#2
RE: CPAP Rent from DME
That $251 per month sounds very high. You will want to check your EOB and/or call your insurance company to find out what the allowed amount is. Your 25% is based on the allowed amount, not the amount that the DME bills. You will want to find out the actual amount before making a decision.

It is possible to switch DME's. You would need to turn in the machine and start over.

Buying a machine outright is certainly worth considering. The online suppliers on the supplier list generally give better pricing than local DME's, but may or may not be eligible for insurance reimbursement depending on your insurance. The online suppliers do not handle insurance billing.
Post Reply Post Reply
#3
RE: CPAP Rent from DME
I would certainly buy a unit. The Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset is currently selling on Amazon for $440 to $515 (prices vary daily). You would have owned your machine by now. It looks like you're using a fixed pressure of 8.0, and anything you buy online can be set to that setting, or you can change to autoset mode. You can continue to get masks and supplies from your current provider, or find the best deal. It sounds like their markup is outta sight.
Sleeprider
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com

____________________________________________
Download OSCAR Software
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing Therapy
Organize your OSCAR Charts
Attaching Files
Mask Primer
How To Deal With Equipment Supplier


INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Post Reply Post Reply
#4
RE: CPAP Rent from DME
OF the $251.99 monthly rental billed to insurance, the discount is $88.20 and the covered amount is $163.79 so $40.94 is my coinsurance amount. I have Cigna and I called them and they said it could be purchased instead of rented so I'm going to have my DME bill it as a purchase next month and see what happens. Hopefully, they won't fuss about needing more time to track compliance.

I've already met my deductible for this year so if I'm going to buy it through insurance, now would be the time to do it. The DME said they would bill $1600, which the remainder after what's already been billed (yes, total cost of the unit would be $2100). Tracking the rental EOB, the allowed amount is 35% so the covered amount would be $1040. My coinsurance on that would be $260. (based on the DME estimate of course).

Gotta love US healthcare.
Post Reply Post Reply
#5
RE: CPAP Rent from DME
I'm in the same boat, just got diagnosed and I have Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, already met my deductible this year and also renting a Resmed, an Aircurve S, to be exact. I talked to the DME when they brought me the machine and they said my payment out of pocket for the machine would be $105 a month next year! I started looking on Craigslist and found an AirCurve Vauto barley even used (it had 33hrs on it) and the guy wanted $450 for it, wound up talking him down to $400 on an almost brand new machine that sells for $1800, he even threw in a brand new sealed heated tube and some other goodies with it. Damn if I was gonna pay $105 a month for a machine! DME claimed my ins would only cover a rental and not a purchase. Still have to return the original machine by the end of the year though, just aint felt like driving 50 miles to do it, only used it for like a week.
Post Reply Post Reply
#6
RE: CPAP Rent from DME
I think Fozzy has it figured out. Many DMEs put these on rental contracts because they are more profitable, even when insurance will buy after 3-months. Well done getting the straight story from a crooked situation.
Sleeprider
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com

____________________________________________
Download OSCAR Software
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing Therapy
Organize your OSCAR Charts
Attaching Files
Mask Primer
How To Deal With Equipment Supplier


INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Post Reply Post Reply
#7
RE: CPAP Rent from DME
Great that you are able to purchase. For those of you in these schemes, if you have a machine and have to report hours/AHI to DOT, you have to move more carefully. Make sure all info is downloaded and transferred to your doctor so you don't lose compliance for your licensing!
Post Reply Post Reply


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Sites to rent machine for a month Kmzizzle 3 539 09-25-2023, 11:34 AM
Last Post: SarcasticDave94
  Is it ok to buy Refurbished CPAP machine? Rent ketanerp 1 745 09-20-2022, 03:22 PM
Last Post: pholynyk
  Insurance doesn’t cover rent-to-own orand 32 2,961 10-02-2020, 03:24 PM
Last Post: becker44a
  Forced to rent a machine by DME, what can i do cheekoo 7 1,467 10-14-2019, 05:47 PM
Last Post: Sleeprider
  Oxygen concentrator... should I buy instead of rent? S.L. Ping Beauty 3 1,441 12-10-2017, 05:41 PM
Last Post: Mosquitobait
  Travel CPAP - can I rent one? davisesq212 8 8,576 01-30-2016, 10:38 PM
Last Post: bill-e
  Oxygen concentrator--rent or buy? Gen'l tips? Milk and cookies! 8 2,369 01-28-2016, 02:40 PM
Last Post: bwexler


New Posts   Today's Posts


About Apnea Board

Apnea Board is an educational web site designed to empower Sleep Apnea patients.