An update to my Adventures in Apnea: Saw the doc today, and it turns out I suffer from severe sleep apnea. During last Mondays sleep study session, I slept for seven hours, but never achieved deep sleep or what they call Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. During that time, I experienced nearly 900 episodes where I stopped breathing. Thats more than once each minute. Yikes! So Ive been prescribed a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine. The machine doesnt actually breathe for me, but supplies a continuous stream of air pressure to keep my airway from closing up. I pick everything up Wednesday morning, and should experience my first night of real, restful sleep in more than a decade Wednesday night. I cant wait! The out-of-pocket costs to rent and eventually purchase the machine, mask, headgear, filters, tubes and other gizmos = $1,350-1,500. I was initially told I would have to pay a $500 deductible, and that Blue Cross Blue Shield would pay 50 percent of the rest. So, out of pocket would be $425-700. I told the pharmacist that didnt sound right according to my policy details. He called later to tell me I was correct -- total cost would be ZERO. No deductible, no copay. I will have to go through one more sleep study session, during which my ideal settings and sleep mask will be determined. Cost of that session: $20. THANK YOU, President Obama! I could never have afforded this life-saving treatment any other way than with the help of the Affordable Care Act. And I am by no means alone in this. Tens of millions are being helped in just the same way.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 21:05:20 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015