The teleconference was on the Politics of Sleep Apnea and some interesting points were raised.
One thing was that having OSA puts you in a high risk group as far as getting and keeping health insurance, and life insurance. At present there seems to be no distinction between treated and untreated sleep apnea.
They also talked about ramifications for small businesses and the effect treatment for people with OSA could have on their insurance costs. Also especially affected are independent truck drivers- if they don't drive they don't make money. How many days does it take to be diagnosed and titrated, how long before they are safe to be on the road? (I hear of some people waiting months for testing on this forum). The increased potential for car accidents due to untreated sleep apnea was mentioned. They also talked about resources for those without insurance. Sorry, I can't remember the resources, but Dr. Park should be able to help anyone out who needs the info.
They touched briefly on traechostomy as a cure and the use of dental devices and surgery, but the emphasis was on CPAP.
Did anyone else listen and have anything to add or correct?

Thanks,
Mary Zimlich