Hi,

I am not a newbie at this. I have had some experience with different types of masks and machines but it’s been awhile. I have almost no experience with the issue I have confronting me now.  I have United Healthcare insurance who use Apria Healthcare to administer their DME in this part of the country. I went to Apria last week to get fitted for a mask and look at a machine. The sales woman at Apria, who fitted me with a mask (which felt extremely comfortable) and demonstrated the APAP machine, did an excellent job of presenting this product. However, she didn’t seem prepared when I refused to sign the agreement when she tried to close. I told her that I wanted to take the contract home to read it before I signed it. She said if I wanted to do that then I couldn’t take the machine home. I said no problem. She told me she wasn’t even sure I could “take home a contract,” so she went and got her insurance “person.” When the claims processor came into the room she too looked a bit puzzled. She had that, “why would you ask to take the contract home to read it before you sign it” look on her face. Apparently this doesn’t happen much ‘round there. Well, short story is… they let me have a copy of the agreement to take home.

Basically, according to Apria, the choice I have is to rent this machine; pay some “up front costs;” and then pay a monthly rental fee of $35.00. I’m supposed to do this until it is determined, by my compliance, that this mask and machine are a successful fit. At that point, UHC pays for a portion and I pay for a portion. If the mask and machine “don’t work” for me then it’s on to the next mask and/or machine. I’m wondering if wouldn’t be cheaper just to buy a mask and machine? What are my options here? I have read some posts on this but am not sure where to begin in terms of questions to ask; information I need to be gathering and numbers I should be crunching.

Thank you,

Chuck