[mitchntx]

The wife has a breathing problem where as she sleeps her esophagus relaxes too much and collapses when she exhales. It doesn't close completely, but it slows her breathing to a point where her blood/Ox level was down to around 80!

The short term fix is an Oxygen concentrator so that what air she does get is more pure.

Insurance company would pay 80% of a rental after our $1000 deductible was met. After the deductible, our 20% liability was almost $30. They wouldn't cover the cost of a purchase. WTF!

So, I found several sources of these units, both new and used. Purchase price is anywhere from $250 (used with a 1 year warranty) to new at $850. I bought a 6 month old unit for $300 with 3.5 years of the manufacturer's warranty still in place.

I argued with supervisors and managers about them covering the cost of purchase and even submitted an appeal which was denied. They said that they don't cover purchase of major equipment, only rental. I don't understand the thought process.

[BigEnos]

My wife is an insulin-dependent diabetic so dealing with health insurance companies is our least-favorite hobby. She started using a wireless blood glucose monitoring system about a year ago. The insurance companies we've had (and for various reasons we've had about 4 of 'em in the last 12 mos.) have ruled the technology as "experimental" except for blue cross/blue shield. Other than that it's been an out-of-pocket expense for us, and a not-insignificant one either. The sensors are $35/each and usually last about a week. Ultimately we've shouldered the cost because it's been such a huge benefit to her. She was able to attain an A1c reading over 3 months of 6.3 (before that it'd been in the 8s and 9s). No regrets, but it would be great if insurance had/would cover it. Luckily her $8000 insulin pump was covered when she got it.