I just got off the phone from my Medical Supply Company that supplies my equipment, etc for my Bi Pap Machine. I have a unique problem in that I am allergic to the standard masks. I am allergic to the neoprene, plastics & rubber. Anything that comes in direct contact with my face, breaks it out really bad. Here are some (blurry) pictures to show how bad it gets.
And these photos were taken after three nights.
And the last photo was taken one month later, after my reaction was gone & I wanted to try the mask again just to make sure that I truly had a reaction to the mask. I did! And it was after only one night! The reaction not only looks bad, it was very painful as well. At some point, I broke out in pustules. Yes, I looked horrible when I had to go out of the house! LOL. People were looking at me like I was a monster, & I felt like one too!!
So we found out that I could use a Full Cloth mask (made just for people like me), to reduce the amount of reaction. It works great, unfortunately, it is not covered as a standard mask under my Insurance, so my Medical Supply Company, doesn't want to provide the mask to me, unless I pay $130 out of pocket/up front. Then, I am supposed to send in the bill to my Insurance for reimbursement. This is totally ridiculous. So I filed a complaint with my Insurance (Blue Cross) & they have been working with the Medical Supply Company for about a month to resolve this.
Finally, they came to an agreement. I will pay $54.56 up front, then they will bill Blue Cross, & then Blue Cross will advise how much of a co-payment I have on the balance. Which is $14.58. For a total amount of $69.14. Considering it would cost me $170 to purchase it directly through the company that manufactures it. I figured this was the best I can get from them, & at least it was better than full price. Then I asked the BIG QUESTION. Is this from now on, or is this a one time deal (as I have to have the mask replaced about every 3 months)? She said that she made an agreement for this ONE TIME ONLY & that we will see in the future, what, if anything they will do for me!!! :( GRR.
But at least I have a new mask on the way, thank god as my current one is going downhill fast! I cannot afford to not use it due to my medical condition. If I only had Obstructive Sleep Apnea (the common form), then it wouldn't be such a big deal. Unfortunately, I have to be one of the very few that also has Central Sleep Apnea (where the Brain periodically stops sending the signal to BREATH). Meaning, if I don't wake up enough to gasp for breath, I could very well die or have a Stroke or Heart Attack!! So this is a very big deal to me.
Oh well, I guess that we shall see what comes next time I need to replace the mask. Well, I better go for now, got lots to do!
Aloha My Friends :)
4 comments:
OMG you poor thing! What a total hassle! Glad you worked it out this time, and hope it is not a problem in the future!
Holy Cow - bloody insurance companies have us over a barrel. That just bites. Glad you got it sorted though. One less thing to worry about :)
Thanks guys, I will be looking into whether or not my Insurance Company will cover more of the cost of the Cloth mask, if I had a Prescription from my Dermatologist as a medical need. I will be calling my Insurance Company tomorrow to find out if this would be a better long term solution. Cross your fingers & toes! :)
There are certainly a lot of details like that to take into consideration. That is a great point to bring up. cara menyembuhkan kurap dan panu
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