I just looked up, in the pricing guide, the price of my comfort gel mask for my Respironics C-pap and was stunned!  It says $124.00!! I am really shocked!! I was thinking in the range of $29.00 but not over $100.00!  It really angers me that these companies take advantage of people.  I have good insurance and will only have to pay 10% but for others who do not have good insurance or no insurance what are they supposed to do?  I guess they do not order new supplies.  I do not know what else to say except it makes me sick!  For goodness sake it just a bunch of plastic and some straps and some gel!!!!  It probably cost them $10.00 to make! I am shaking my head in disbelief!

Grateful Have you priced the hoses?   It does seem like a cash cow for somebody. But if you look at anything that is marked for medical the price is extraordinarily high! It kind of reminds  me of when I was in the military, if Uncle Sam was buying it the price was going to be jacked up. Same goes with medical supplies if an item can be used for medical the price is going to be jacked up. I guess it is just the way of things, but I don't think it's right!


_________________
White Beard with a White Beard
Resmed VPAP Adapt SV Enhanced, HumidAire 2i, ResLink with Model 8000 Flex sensor Pulse Oximeter, and ResScan 3.5 software. Respironic EverFlo OPI Oxygen Concentrator 3 lpm
EEP 9.0, min PS 6.0, max PS 16.0

Thanks WhiteBeard. I did not price the hoses yet.  Will do that after I eat my dinner.
What part of the Military were you in?  My husband is a former Marine.

You can get a ComfortGel for $70 on-line, but you have to jump through hoops to get that price.  

At Cpap-supply.com you have to click and provide an email address, and then they will email you the proper price.

At Cpap.com, generic 6' hoses are $10 and Respironics branded 6 Foot hoses are $15

Best place for filters is CPAPFiltersAndSupplies.com

Bearded One Don't you wish you could buy the equipment at your DME for the same prices or just a little higher than you can on line?
Grateful I spent 22 1/2 years in the Air Force retired in the early 90's. It was good duty and got to see allot of the world, was  overseas  in various places for more than ten of those years!


_________________
White Beard with a White Beard
Resmed VPAP Adapt SV Enhanced, HumidAire 2i, ResLink with Model 8000 Flex sensor Pulse Oximeter, and ResScan 3.5 software. Respironic EverFlo OPI Oxygen Concentrator 3 lpm
EEP 9.0, min PS 6.0, max PS 16.0

It would be nice if pharmacies would sell tubing and filters, and I wish that the equipment manufacturers didn't hassle the online suppliers regarding minimum advertised prices.  

I worked on F4's and B-52's in the Air Force for 6 years and I was a medic in the National Guard for 6 years.

you should try living in australia.  insurance, if you have it, does not cover ANY of the cost of masks or other accessories.  i only received $500 towards the cost of the actual machine, which was over $2000 three years ago.  i just had to purchase a new mask cushion that cost me $77 including shipping, AND it leaks (that's a whole nother post).  a new one will be nearly $300.  the heated hose, a godsend that is actually designed and manufactured here was $160.  and on and on it goes

The Aussie Heat Hose is great.  I don't use a humidifier; during winter I keep my bedroom cold, and the heated hose warms the air enough to make it comfortable.

I too do not use a humidifier, but have cold bedroom temps and use the Aussie Heated hose.  Paid out of pocket for it and worth every penny.  It can make all the difference if the air temperature is too cold to be comfortable.

Blessings,
--pseudonym

Wow, so both White Beard and Bearded One served in the Air Force.  Thank you for your service. Bearded One thanks for the information on where to buy supplies!

Quote:

I just looked up, in the pricing guide, the price of my comfort gel mask for my Respironics C-pap and was stunned!  It says $124.00!! I am really shocked!! I was thinking in the range of $29.00 but not over $100.00!  It really angers me that these companies take advantage of people.  I have good insurance and will only have to pay 10% but for others who do not have good insurance or no insurance what are they supposed to do?  I guess they do not order new supplies.  I do not know what else to say except it makes me sick!  For goodness sake it just a bunch of plastic and some straps and some gel!!!!  It probably cost them $10.00 to make! I am shaking my head in disbelief!

Grateful,

   I'm not sure if you noticed, but things cost money.  We get so used to buying cheap garbage made in our communist enemy, China (anyone even remember them keeping our spy plane), that we forget that things cost.  The company spends a lot of money to design and test the mask.  It also is fabricated quite well.  Talk to your supplier and they don't get them returned for poor manufacture.  Compare this to whatever cheap POS you buy at Walmart.  They are also medically regulated devices which costs the company more to certify.  Additionally, they are devices used for people to breathe.  They have to carry large amounts of insurance against anything that might happen.  Given that it's a medical device, they could easily be sued if it didn't work and someone died.

   If you feel that this is so overpriced, why aren't you starting a business to sell these?  After all, it seems that according to you they are soooo easy to make and manufacture.  It might be just some straps and gel, but the operating system on the computer you're using was just a compact disc.  Did you see that it was worth $100?  Things cost money.  Making devices that have been well tested and safe costs money.  Not everything is the poorly manufactured junk you find at Walmart.

Yes, anything considered a medical device is going to cost you.  Hey, don't complain. A mask is a lot cheaper than hearing aids. I just paid $4300 for two.  The last ones I bought only lasted five years. Well, I guess we should just be glad there there are things to help us when our bodies don't work just right.
Grandma


_________________
ResMed Quattro Full Face Mask
ResMed S8 Escape with heated humidifier
Pressure set at 11

in conversation with a friend living in the US recently, we were discussing my recent problems with new mask cushion and leaking.  i was amazed to hear her say that her insurance will pay for a new mask EVERY THREE MONTHS, and from what i read people actually not only get them this often, they sometimes keep a spare.  given the robust construction of these things, they last a very long time.  mine was three years old before the silicon developed a small tear that rendered it useless.

i know cost is not only determined by supply and demand, research and manufacture costs as well.  but it shocked me to think that insurance companies in the US are supplying these at intervals that seems outrageously short.  oversupplying just costs folks (and the insurance companies!) unnecessary money, and is wasteful.  with good maintenance and cleaning, a mask lasts a long time.

if you are covered by medical insurance (particularly if your insurance is paid by your employer) that will supply you this frequently, my thoughts are, consider yourselves lucky.   not only do employers in this country never pay your health cover (you pay for your own), the health funds here don't consider CPAP a viable treatment for full cost rebates and you are out of pocket, usually for the full cost of the item.

just my little rant, compounded by a leaking mask and not enough sleep for two weeks

Cecile,
I have heard that Medicare does replace masks every three months and some insurance companies choose to follow the Medicare guidelines. I agree with you that this is extremely wasteful.  Nobody ever said that US government programs or private insurance companies were trying to be economical... Anyway, if it makes you feel better, my insurance company will not replace my mask until it breaks or "stops working". I am going on eight months now with the same mask. I do wish they'd pay for a spare.
Grandma


_________________
ResMed Quattro Full Face Mask
ResMed S8 Escape with heated humidifier
Pressure set at 11

I had to pay out of pocket for everything.

You're not just buying a mask.  You're paying the salaries and wages of the people the designed it, then for the wages and machines that put it together, and for the cost of having it delivered to the store.  Various taxes, mandates, audits, insurance, etc. on the business are built into the price of the mask as well.  

Obviously, there are far more things built into the price of medical equipment than say, a painter's mask.

The mask will typically be advertised at MSRP with the expectation that it will be purchased by insurance.  I believe the insurance companies get a volume discount after the purchase.  This is why you may see a particular company push XYZ brand mask.