My insurance is bcbs and we have a 3600 deductible. The oxygen is considered dme and is considered medical so the deductible applies. I am the only one working and it seems like nothing is covered...
I'd like to share some alternate situations, based on the fact that we used oxygen for several years until my father passed last year.
1. We NEVER paid $.01 for oxygen; I had purchased a BCBSM Medigap policy, so whatever might not have been otherwise covered was paid for by BCBSM. The premium was well worth it.
2. Congress' meddling in DME operations cost us a very good, long time oxygen supplier, which just couldn't compete with the large amalgamated medical conglomerates. The first of the new DME suppliers didn't meet standards and I had to ask for a different supplier, which I got. And that worked out well.
3. The big E sized tanks are literally worth their weight in gold. After a windstorm knocked out power for about 800K customers, including my father's area, we were faced with (a) one stationary concentrator (b) one portable concentrator with backup batteries, and (c) only a few E tanks, reserved for use out of the home. Options (a) and (b) became useless for the 4+ days of the power outage. Option (c) was limited. An E tank was estimated for a 6 hour use, which wouldn't even have gotten us through one full day.
When the power went out, there were enough charged batteries to last ONLY 4 hours. For 3 of those hours, I frantically called every place I could think of to find alternate living arrangements. Nothing that was remotely workable was available.
The solution was provided by a compassionate Senior Center worker and her first responder husband; they arranged for my father to stay at an AL temporarily. This was the ONLY one that didn't demand a chest x-ray first.
Going forward, I ordered and got a dozen E tanks, which I ended up using after a setback and Dad soared from 2 to 6 liter flow rates. The Li-io batteries were insufficient for travel, so I took 3 E tanks, with the extras just in case (plus extra cannulas).
I decided I wouldn't be caught short again if additional power failures occurred. With oxygen, I took the attitude that I would get as much and as many pieces of equipment as I could so we wouldn't be caught short again.
Is your patient using oxygen tanks or an oxygen concentrator? If tanks that can get expensive. Try to evaluate how many tanks you (he) needs and send the rest back except for a back up tank (which the respiratory supply provider will leave one back up tank anyway) & a few portable tanks for when the patient goes out of the house. Use the concentrator as much as possible vs the tanks.
Generally insurance will pay some but not all of the fee. I know this is a problem but I believe even with Medicare the patient will have a co-pay.
What do you mean when you say the oxygen bills are breaking up your marriage? Why?
How old is your husband? Does he have medical insurance? If he's on Medicare, and on receipt of a specifically detailed script from a pulmonary doctor, Medicare will provide for oxygen through one of the DMEs that competed for the privilege of supplying oxygen.
Could you please explain why no insurance is helping you with oxygen?
1. We NEVER paid $.01 for oxygen; I had purchased a BCBSM Medigap policy, so whatever might not have been otherwise covered was paid for by BCBSM. The premium was well worth it.
2. Congress' meddling in DME operations cost us a very good, long time oxygen supplier, which just couldn't compete with the large amalgamated medical conglomerates. The first of the new DME suppliers didn't meet standards and I had to ask for a different supplier, which I got. And that worked out well.
3. The big E sized tanks are literally worth their weight in gold. After a windstorm knocked out power for about 800K customers, including my father's area, we were faced with (a) one stationary concentrator (b) one portable concentrator with backup batteries, and (c) only a few E tanks, reserved for use out of the home. Options (a) and (b) became useless for the 4+ days of the power outage. Option (c) was limited. An E tank was estimated for a 6 hour use, which wouldn't even have gotten us through one full day.
When the power went out, there were enough charged batteries to last ONLY 4 hours. For 3 of those hours, I frantically called every place I could think of to find alternate living arrangements. Nothing that was remotely workable was available.
The solution was provided by a compassionate Senior Center worker and her first responder husband; they arranged for my father to stay at an AL temporarily. This was the ONLY one that didn't demand a chest x-ray first.
Going forward, I ordered and got a dozen E tanks, which I ended up using after a setback and Dad soared from 2 to 6 liter flow rates. The Li-io batteries were insufficient for travel, so I took 3 E tanks, with the extras just in case (plus extra cannulas).
I decided I wouldn't be caught short again if additional power failures occurred. With oxygen, I took the attitude that I would get as much and as many pieces of equipment as I could so we wouldn't be caught short again.
Generally insurance will pay some but not all of the fee. I know this is a problem but I believe even with Medicare the patient will have a co-pay.
What do you mean when you say the oxygen bills are breaking up your marriage? Why?
Could you please explain why no insurance is helping you with oxygen?
Is your husband a Veteran?