How Has the Affordable Care Act Affected Sleep Apnea Treatment?
Health insurance can feel like one confusing maze-coverage under the affordable care act is no different. To understand how the Affordable Care Act impacts sleep apnea treatment, it’s important to understand that this system is results-focused, meaning in order to get initial and continued coverage, patients and their health care team must prove that their medical needs are addressed in a manner that will get real results.
Is sleep apnea a preexisting condition?
Some good news about the Affordable Care Act: insurance coverage can’t discriminate against you if you’ve already been diagnosed with sleep apnea. While co-pays and deductibles may have changed with the Affordable Care Act, coverage shouldn’t. With this system, your preexisting condition shouldn’t affect your health care.
Has testing for sleep apnea changed?
Testing for sleep apnea at home, rather than in a more expensive sleep laboratory, is becoming more common. This is because it’s a much more cost effective diagnostic technique and works well for most uncomplicated cases of sleep apnea. To participate in an at home sleep test, your physician will send you home with a device created to measure blood oxygen levels, airflow, body position, and snoring.
If this test comes back inconclusively, your physician will then set you up with an appointment for a laboratory sleep test. A bit more paperwork to authorize these exams may be necessary. More paperwork means more time between diagnosis and treatment.
Will I have continuous coverage?
As previously mentioned, the Affordable Care Act is focused on results. In line with this mission, as a user of a continued positive airway pressure machine, you’ll need to prove that you’re using it regularly. Usually, this means that you’ll need to prove that it’s worn for at least 4 hours every day. Smart CPAP machines like the AirSense 10 Elite tracks your data for you so that you can easily send your usage information to your provider or insurance company. There are also fitness trackers and phone applications that you might find useful.
In the end, your coverage will depend on your specific insurance provider. You can research the Affordable Care Act here or chat with us about what your insurance will help you purchase at BreatheeasyCPAP.com.
