Does Your Insurance Company Cover CPAP Treatment?

Health insurance is an essential component of a person’s health expenditure plan for treating any ailment and sleep apnea is no exception. Sleep apnea is a chronic condition which requires treatment throughout the person’s lifespan, and health insurance is essential since he would require CPAP machine along with supplies and essentials throughout his lifetime.

Several insurance companies, to tap into this vast potential market, have started offering coverage for CPAP treatment, though the degree of coverage varies. There are three major types of insurance providers which cater to this market, namely – government providers, provider networks, and private providers.

Government Providers

Ensuring good healthcare and proper treatment facilities for every citizen is one of the leading priorities of any government. The US federal government offers various medical insurance programs for qualified citizens. For example, Medicare is provided to US citizens who are aged 65 and above.

This program is also applicable for younger citizens who have specific disabilities. Medicaid is another government insurance program which aims at providing healthcare to families as well as individuals coming from the low-income strata. For citizens working in the armed forces as well as military, the government offers TriCare health insurance scheme.

Provider Networks

Insurance plans offered by provider networks provide a way of bringing down the premiums while aiming to keep out-of-pocket expenses to a bare minimum. For example, policies provided by Health Management Organization (HMO) requires the patient to visit their primary physician and insurance coverage is provided on a group basis.

There is also the Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan, wherein the patient can get lower co-pays if they get treatment from any medical health providers empaneled with a particular insurance company. Within the PPO plan, the patient can also choose Flexible Spending Account (FSA), a sort of payment plan which the doctors themselves offer.

Besides, there is also a Health Savings Account (HAS), which is a medical fund account that needs a substantial upfront contribution to become eligible. For retirees, insurance companies offer Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) for co-pays and deductibles.

An important thing to keep in mind regarding the insurance plans provided by provider networks is that if one were to go outside the “network” providers, then the amount of co-pay would end up being substantially higher and in some cases, the patient might have to foot the entire bill from his pocket.

Private Providers

Besides the two providers mentioned above, several private insurance companies offer coverage for CPAP treatments. Some of these companies include Anthem, Aetna, Cigna, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, United Health Care and Humana. Though these insurance providers are private, they offer coverage at reasonable premiums.

Insurance Codes for CPAP Machine, Masks & Supplies

Bottom Line

While insurance plans, in general, provide succor to patients, when it relates to sleep apnea, coverage would mean the difference between waking up tired and exhausted with unrefreshed sleep and having a comfortable and blissful sleep which can keep any diseases that tend to tag along with sleep apnea, at bay. Sleep apnea, in itself, is not dangerous, but other related symptoms can result in it becoming fatal. Hence, it is vital for a sleep apnea patient to get a proper insurance coverage that offers excellent benefits while undergoing CPAP treatment.