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Canadian here without insurance. Purchase advice needed.
#11
RE: Canadian here without insurance. Purchase advice needed.
(03-14-2017, 10:24 AM)Snoopy.pa30 Wrote:  Not sure how the Health care system works out in BC, but some of the other West Coasters should be able to indicate if a Rx would help you out.

Thanks "Snoopy" for the support Wink   Just as an fyi in BC, there is no coverage unless you are on government assistance or have extended medical.  As you mentioned, I am certain the level of assistance varies between provinces.
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#12
RE: Canadian here without insurance. Purchase advice needed.
(03-14-2017, 10:29 AM)Sleeprider Wrote: Do you have anyone in the U.S. that can help you reship something purchased at a significant savings?

Hi "Sleeprider"...in fact I do have a postal address to receive items ordered online from the US...I live very close to Washington state and cross the line all the time.  Through research online, the prices are comparable so in this instance, purchasing a machine in US currency would not offer any savings.  I agree that for many products, items in the US are generally better priced than in Canada...but not in this case.
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#13
RE: Canadian here without insurance. Purchase advice needed.
(03-13-2017, 11:38 PM)chill Wrote: Welcome!  I am also in Vancouver.  I bought my machine through Coastal Sleep, but I have excellent insurance.  They do provide a service that is worth the price if you need it.  I am glad that I went there as I had No Clue when I started.  I just wanted to sleep.  It sounds like you are willing to do the research and take charge of your own therapy.  In your case, I would purchase it at the cheapest price that you can find and use this forum for support.

Here in B.C. the sleep apnea studies are done in a hospital and are covered by Provincial insurance.  But when they prove you have sleep apnea and need treatment by an expensive machine you are on your own!  Who thinks this makes sense?

Luckily I have insurance through my pension that covered this.  But really, this is surely an example of a government that needs a slap upside the head.  Election this year...
Ed Seedhouse
VA7SDH

Part cow since February 2018.

Trust your mind less and your brain more.


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#14
RE: Canadian here without insurance. Purchase advice needed.
Purchased recently from cpap global, a BC co. Decent price fast shipping. Check site for friendly terms re: prescription.

Doing it all myself. Will likely ask here for some help once I get further along. Can always go back to the sleep clinic if I think it's needed.
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#15
RE: Canadian here without insurance. Purchase advice needed.
If you are on a very tight budget, check into a used machine online (Craigslist or eBay or somesuch). There are usually a few hanging around from people who don't want or need them any more. 25% of all CPAPs are used only a month and another 25% quit after a year or 18 months. Usually can find them cheap with a humidifier. Get an AUTO, as they're easier to set up. Preferred if you can find one that you can get the complete data nightly, but not really necessary if push comes to shove. Your alertness while awake should tell you that it's working.

Secondly, as for the mask which is a consumable. Check for the availability of parts or the cost of a new mask. I use an Ultra Mirage Full Facemask. Cushions, headgear, and forehead bars are the most purchased consumables, especially for a novice who hasn't developed the knack to handle the facemask with care.

China is another option for inexpensive equipment. They tend to find a market in the Third World.
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#16
RE: Canadian here without insurance. Purchase advice needed.
Yeah, I second that. I learned way, way, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more here in this forum in the short time I have been a member than from anywhere else in this whole process. Although my sleep technician was nice and very helpful most of the other people in their office really didn't care at all much about me and after trying 4 different masks I was told "I am done trying any new masks."
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#17
RE: Canadian here without insurance. Purchase advice needed.
If you want to buy a US product, ship item to a nearby US address to save on shipping costs, I use the Radio Shack in Lynden, WA.  
You set up your account with them for free.  They call you when your item arrives and their charge is just a few dollars per item.

I use this Radio Shack for <link to Amazon removed> items that will not ship to Canada.  For the past 25 years, I have traveled to Lynden once a year to pick up all my shipments.
When you declare your items coming back into Canada, you are charged sales tax (if you stay in the USA for 48 hours, you are then allowed $850(?) per person duty-free).

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To maintain our status as an educational organization, the only commercial links allowed in this forum are to CPAP-related manufacturer websites. This is stated in the Apnea Board Rules with details given in the Commercial Links Policy section.
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#18
RE: Canadian here without insurance. Purchase advice needed.
Update:

So I went ahead and purchased an Auto CPAP Dreamstation online from a Canadian DME (pm me if you want link as not listed on forum's supplier list).  Best price on the internet... even better than US pricing.

Secondly, I did not purchase from the Sleep Clinic and am happy I did not (happy to keep $2000 in MY pocket).  Here in Canada (in the province of BC anyways) if I need further or more intensive testing, I can just ask my doctor to give me a referral (at no extra fees) to another sleep clinic or hospital sleep lab...anytime and as many times as needed.  Even without any type of extended insurance coverage,  I am confident that there is absolutely no need to rely and settle on one independently owned sleep clinic services (and thier exorbitant prices), in my case anyways. 

Getting the clinician's manual from this forum and downloading Sleepyhead is truly all that is needed to setup one's own APAP machine...again this is what I found in my case (BIG thank you to the Forum Admin Team!).  The sleep clinic would of charged $150 to enter in some very simple settings....so even more $$ kept in MY wallet  Wink

Thank you all for your replies, I really appreciated all the advice Smile
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#19
RE: Canadian here without insurance. Purchase advice needed.
I do not if it sacrilege here as I just found this board, but do a craigslist search. I just replaced my seven uear old Remstar M Plus with a Resmed Aircurve 10s. Best part is that it was local so I could see it before paying. My old insurance did not cover my CPAP and I did not check to see if our new carrier does. Just put in what ever model you are looking for followed by "site:craigslist.org" in Google for all around or go to your local craigslist site and search. CPAPs are generally in the health and beauty sections. Many sellers will negotiate on price and are willing to ship. As a price point, I paid $400US for an Aircurve 10s with a NIB Wisp Mask. I found an Airsense 10 for $350 and IIRC it had two hours showing.
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#20
RE: Canadian here without insurance. Purchase advice needed.
I hope you are aware that if you go through the process of 1) getting a referral from your GP to a sleep clinic 2) doing a sleep study and getting a prescription your machine would be provided via Gov't Health Services. That's the way it is here in Ontario...  are other Provinces different????

But if BC is different one thing I found is to check Kijiji... I found my current machine there so cheap I just grabbed it.

Link Removed, search online or google Kijiji









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To maintain our status as an educational organization, the only commercial links allowed in this forum are to CPAP-related manufacturer websites.  This is stated in the Apnea Board Rules with details given in the Commercial Links Policy section.

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