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[Equipment] Doctor stated BCBS(insurance) will start covering Inspire Implant next month.... Defi
#1
Exclaimation 
Doctor stated BCBS(insurance) will start covering Inspire Implant next month.... Defi
Definitely considering it.....

Anyone else looked into it? With insurance covering it now - means effectiveness has increased. Insurance wouldn't be throwing money at non-proven surgery.
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#2
RE: Doctor stated BCBS(insurance) will start covering Inspire Implant next month.... Defi
There were flyers in my ENTs office concerning this...

Inspire Sleep home page

Apparently they implant electrodes into the muscles controlling throat constriction.
Geoffrey Rush as Philip Henslowe, (Shakespeare in Love) "I don't know. It's a mystery."
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#3
RE: Doctor stated BCBS(insurance) will start covering Inspire Implant next month.... Defi
(05-16-2019, 07:24 AM)NashTrat Wrote: Definitely considering it.....

Anyone else looked into it? With insurance covering it now - means effectiveness has increased. Insurance wouldn't be throwing money at non-proven surgery.

It took a few denials to get approval but the hospital did all of that work.  My doctor has done about 50 of these.  He said there have been about 5000 worldwide.
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#4
RE: Doctor stated BCBS(insurance) will start covering Inspire Implant next month.... Defi
(05-16-2019, 07:24 AM)NashTrat Wrote: Definitely considering it.....

Anyone else looked into it? With insurance covering it now - means effectiveness has increased. Insurance wouldn't be throwing money at non-proven surgery.

Absolutely not!  You need to go read about all of the people that have had problems with it.  And ask yourself if you truly, physically, and without any other option want to be dependent on the medical system.  Once they physically put something inside of you.... Yeah good luck with that. 

As much of a pia an inelegant cpap is as a treatment, using a glorified tazer on your tongue is every worse!
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#5
RE: Doctor stated BCBS(insurance) will start covering Inspire Implant next month.... Defi
It's a procedure that's invasive as Hell. I've seen the commercials for it on tv. They don't mention how it works. They keep it as vague as possible.

Although I'm a bit disappointed with my CPAP therapy, I'm sticking with it for a while. At least there's no cutting and implanting involved.  Crazy
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#6
RE: Doctor stated BCBS(insurance) will start covering Inspire Implant next month.... Defi
(12-16-2019, 08:32 PM)Big Guy Wrote: It's a procedure that's invasive as Hell. I've seen the commercials for it on tv. They don't mention how it works. They keep it as vague as possible.

Although I'm a bit disappointed with my CPAP therapy, I'm sticking with it for a while. At least there's no cutting and implanting involved.  Crazy

Is it Invasive? - YES

Surgery, A few weeks of recovery...  Some pain

I had the surgery in June.  It is working well for me.  I kept taking the mask off when I slept.  With the help of this board I may have been able to sort out those issues but the surgery has been a blessing for me.  

The stimulation of your tongue is pretty mild and you get used to it.  I could probably fall asleep with the device being active but you are given 30 minutes to fall asleep before it starts to operate.  If you wake in the night, there is a pause button that will give you 15 minutes to fall asleep again.  These times are configurable.  You have full control over its intensity and when it is in use.   I use an app to track snoring (SnoreLab).  You can see from the recordings the exact instant when the device kicks in each night.  

CPAP is the best option but this one is pretty good and, once you have it, easier to live with than the maintenance and upkeep associated with CPAP not to mention easier for travel.
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#7
RE: Doctor stated BCBS(insurance) will start covering Inspire Implant next month.... Defi
Buffalo66 - Thank you for your first-hand account of the Inspire device.  It does look quite interesting.  

CPAP is one of the very few medical treatment processes that is nearly 100 percent effective if the patient is doing it right, and each night.  But it does take a time commitment to monitor your mask leaks and AHI numbers, and keep your equipment clean and refreshed regularly.  
I'm not ready to try a surgical solution for Sleep Apnea, just yet, but I'm sure going to ask about Inspire with my sleep doc next time I see him.  

Thanks again!
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#8
RE: Doctor stated BCBS(insurance) will start covering Inspire Implant next month.... Defi
I didn't see this thread before I started my own on it the other day.  Replies were all on the probably not side.  Based on reports I have viewed I have decided against it, at least for quite a while.  50% success rate I read somewhere...not enough for me, especially since I clearly remember the pain of recovery from my Uvula surgery.

Plmnb
Huhsign  WARNING: It may take a while to sink in...I tend to get befuddled at times.
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#9
RE: Doctor stated BCBS(insurance) will start covering Inspire Implant next month.... Defi
I would not be interested in it unless I exhausted all other choices.
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#10
RE: Doctor stated BCBS(insurance) will start covering Inspire Implant next month.... Defi
They cover it if you have failed PAP. A guy at work is going for a sleep study for it in a couple weeks then after they take a look at the results they are going to implant it. We just talked about it about an hour ago. Yes we have BCBS
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