I am wrestling with an insurance plan dilemma.  My wife's new insurance begins on April Fool's day.  If, as is likely, we elect a high-deductible HSA eligible plan, we have no DME coverage unless and until we change plans again.  Due to the disconnect between the federal calendar year concept and the verkakte plan year in my wife's workplace we have a disincentive to leave the plan once we join.  (Write me privately if you want to be walked through that mishegas.)

The dilemma is this.  I can get 50% reimbursement for purchasing a companion BiPAP for my current machine (a Resmed VPAP Auto 25 with humidifier) I can get the same machine for a "mere" $500 out of pocket and $500 out of the insurer's pocket.  $500 is small only by comparison to the $6000 deductible pit which we have to fill up (I sincerely hope not to do so) in the succeeding nine months before anticipating a penny of insurance reimbursement.  (Again, write me privately and I will share my gray market vendor if he's willing to cut the same $100 off his internet price as he's willing to do for me. Even if not, he's still about $1000 under Cpap.com's price the last time I looked.)

I am reluctant to do this both because I suspect the current machine will outlive the new insurance plan and because I think the rate of improvement in the DME world may mean that I have spent $500 for a machine which could become an expensive paper weight before it is ever needed.  On the other hand, $500 for a VPAP Auto 25 seems cheap insurance against loss or breakage (I've dropped the sucker once and it lived to tell the tale).

To those of you who are professionals, what is the best way to maintain the backup machine if I move forward with this?  Try it once to make sure it operates and then pack it away until needed or rotate the two machines on a fixed schedule?

Is there another machine that I ought to try?  My numbers have been so good, AHI under 1.5 AI only occasionally 0.1 -- most nights 0.0 and average for week month and six months all at 0.0 as I approach the 300 day mark, that I am reluctant to mess with success unless you think ResMed's measurements pat themselves on the back too much or that the aforementioned drop beat the machine into submission.

FYI Pressure is 20 over 15. It barely feels like pressure most nights unless the mask slips.

Thanks in advance for input and suggestions. No this is not an April Fool's joke. Open enrollment runs from yesterday through March 29th. That's the joke and its not very funny!