CPAP Machine Cost With Insurance:
Let’s start with a potentially surprising idea—if you get your new CPAP machine from your insurance company, you may be overpaying. With most insurance companies, your machine is covered only if you’ve met your annual deductible. If you haven’t met your deductible, you’ll be on the hook for the cost of the machine, which may be more expensive than purchasing it yourself online.
Typically, the cost of the device will be broken up over a 10-month period (sometimes longer) and you’ll pay an installment each month as part of a rental agreement. At the end of the rental term, you’ll own the machine. This may sound comparable to purchasing a machine outright, but insurance companies typically pay much more for CPAP machines than we’re able to sell them for on our site, directly to you.
And for those looking to buy a secondary travel machine through your insurance company, you may run into some roadblocks as well. Insurance companies typically only supply one home unit every five years, so it’s likely you’ll need to pay out of pocket for any additional machines during the five-year period.
CPAP Machine Cost Without Insurance:
We discuss renting a CPAP machine through insurance more in-depth below, but for now, we’re going to take a look at what you can expect to pay out-of-pocket for a CPAP machine.
Standard CPAP Machines: Without insurance, the average cost of a CPAP machine in 2023 comes out to around $750; fixed-pressure CPAP machines can typically be found between $600 to $1,000. While CPAP machines may have paved the way for CPAP therapy, APAP machines have significantly risen in popularity in the last decade and are becoming prescribed more and more over CPAP as the technology improves.
APAP Machines: Interestingly, the average cost of an APAP in 2023 is about $700. With the rise in popularity, you can find a range of these auto-adjusting units online from as low as $400 to around $1,000-1,200 for higher-end options.
BiPAP Machines: A BiPAP machine starts out at around $1,600 but can cost upwards of $3,000 in some cases. These machines offer much more advanced therapy for specific needs and, in some cases, can even initiate breathing—something CPAP cannot do.
Additional CPAP machine costs include the price of a mask, hose, and replacement supplies, including disposable, reusable, and bacteria filters. These additional supplies add comfort, an increased level of effectiveness, and cleanliness to your machine setup.
How Much Do CPAP Supplies Cost?
In addition to the CPAP machine itself, you have to consider the cost of CPAP supplies and add-ons, such as a humidifier, mask, hose, and cleaning supplies. Supplies are covered by insurance, but coverage levels vary from state to state. When you shop with myrespco.com, you can schedule subscriptions for commonly worn parts like cushions, headgear, and air filters to save 10% AND get free shipping on each subscription order.
To give you an idea of the average cost of CPAP supplies, we put together an annual breakdown of average expected costs, seen here:
| Equipment Type | Annual Replacements | Average Cost for 1 Year |
|---|---|---|
| CPAP Mask Cushions | 4-8 | ~$60-300+ |
| CPAP Mask Headgear | 1-2 | ~$40-60 |
| CPAP Mask Frame | 1-2 | ~$100-200+ |
| Tubing | 1-2 | ~$10-30 |
| Machine Air Filters | 1-4 | ~$12-20 |
| Humidifier Chamber | 1-2 | ~$30-80 |
| Cleaning Supplies | 2-4 | ~$80-200+ |
| Total Estimated Costs: | X | ~$330-900 |
Based on the above estimates, yearly CPAP ownership can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to nearly a thousand or more depending on your equipment and how often you replace the various pieces of it. In our experience, however, we’d wager that the majority of CPAP owners will fall somewhere between $400 and $600 in yearly maintenance costs.
Below, you’ll find a more detailed breakdown by equipment type of what to expect when it’s time to replace equipment.
CPAP Masks: CPAP masks typically cost anywhere between $30 and $160. The cost of your CPAP mask will vary depending on the style, features, and quality of materials used.
The actual frame of your mask (the part your cushion snaps onto and headgear connects to) should be replaced every six to 12 months, but your mask cushion should be replaced every three to six months, or monthly if using an AirTouch memory foam cushion. Nasal pillows should be replaced every 1-3 months. Cushions typically cost between $15 and $60, depending on your mask.
CPAP Humidifiers: External humidifiers typically cost between $150 to $250, but the good news is that modern CPAP machines virtually always have a built-in humidifier, so upkeep is the only real cost to consider as far as humidifiers are concerned nowadays. The humidifier chamber itself will need to be replaced every six to twelve months, but thankfully, replacement chambers start at around $20 and top out at around $40.
While not required, a humidifier can often make your CPAP therapy more comfortable and tolerable.
CPAP Hoses and Tubing: Most standard CPAP hoses can be found for less than $15, but specialty unheated hoses can go for upwards of $40. CPAP hoses should be replaced every six to twelve months. The price difference in hoses lies in the type of hose you choose. Heated hoses are more expensive than standard hoses and start at around $30 with the most expensive models coming in at around $65.
With heated hoses, heating coils cut down on the formation of condensation inside the hose itself, making for a more comfortable therapy experience.
The three different types of filters are disposable (fine), reusable (foam), and bacteria. Disposable filters are the cheapest and found on most machines. They cannot be washed and work best when replaced every three to six months. Reusable filters are intended to be cleaned periodically—usually once a month—and aren’t used in every machine; these should also be replaced every three to six months.
CPAP Machine Rental Cost
There are a few online companies that specialize in CPAP machine rentals, though we don’t recommend this route as a long-term solution. While the low monthly cost, typically $30-$70 a month for most options, may seem appealing, you’ll actually be paying significantly more over time.
Insurance usually replaces a CPAP machine every five years which is the average CPAP life expectancy. Even the cheapest rental we found at $30 a month works out to $1,800 over a span of five years, and that’s not even for a current-generation CPAP model.
On average, you can expect to pay about $60 a month to rent a CPAP machine, and over the course of five years you’ll end up paying $3,600, or more than double the amount of purchasing a brand new AirSense 11 AutoSet.
Renting a CPAP can be a great way to test drive a new machine or try out some different features or brands in the short term, but when people talk about renting a CPAP machine, it’s actually usually being done through their insurance provider.
How Much Does it Cost to Rent a CPAP Machine (Through Insurance)?
Renting to own your CPAP machine through your insurance company would mean the machine is yours, right? Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
While the most common way of starting your CPAP therapy through your insurance company is renting your machine, you are often required to use it in order to keep it. You read that right—if you don’t regularly use your CPAP machine, then your insurance company can take it from you even if you’ve been paying for it monthly.
Insurance and Compliance Reporting
Insurance commonly requires a basic level of therapy compliance—usually around four hours of usage a night for 70% of nights. If you go a period of time without using your machine, it may indicate to your insurance company that you’re not serious about your sleep apnea treatment, and they will request the machine back.
The insurance model works well for those who wouldn’t consistently use their machine without insurance checking in on them, but approaching therapy on your own terms can be much more empowering. If you’re someone that gets anxious easily or would worry about not meeting compliance requirements, you’d most likely benefit from owning your machine outright.
Some of the community members over at CPAPtalk.com have also pointed out that when you work with insurance, you tend to pay a ‘frustration tax’ as well. It’s not actually any amount of money, but rather your sanity that’s being spent when waiting to be approved for replacement supplies or repairs for your machine if something goes wrong. Instead of simply purchasing new supplies and having them shipped straight to you, you’ll have to run everything through your insurance first, which will require another level of planning ahead and less flexibility when you need supplies in a pinch.
✔️ Buying CPAP online means you’re always in charge of your therapy. You’ll own it from day one.
Do You Get the Best CPAP Machine Through Insurance?
When getting a CPAP machine with insurance, many people assume they’ll get the best machine, which isn’t always true. In many cases, the CPAP supplier your insurance company recommends is reimbursed the same amount of money regardless of the quality of your machine. Thus, there’s no incentive for the CPAP supplier to give you the best machine.
In addition, if the supplier gives you a cheap, average machine, then they can pocket more of the insurance company’s reimbursement versus giving you a more expensive, higher-quality machine.
✔️ With myrespco.com, you are in control of your CPAP therapy. You can choose the machine that life and sleep apnea needs.
You Can Still File a Claim When You Buy With myrespco.com
To keep our prices low, myrespco.com doesn’t bill insurance for our machines myrespco.com is considered an out-of-network DME or CPAP supplier, and insurance plans differ in coverage based on the DME and insurance carrier.
✔️ We can provide you with an insurance compliant claim form but we cannot guarantee that your insurance will reimburse you when you buy from us. If you plan to do this, check with your insurance company before your purchase to be sure that you’ll be reimbursed.