Talk about a racket. I have OSA pretty badly and can't do anything about it. These shrink-fit oral appliances would extend my lifespan by years, but I can't afford the thousands of dollars for a sleep study to get diagnosed to get a stupid prescription. Anybody who says the US has the greatest healthcare in the world obviously hasn't had to actually use it or has money falling out of their ears.
Secondhand CPAPs are readily available in most places. I bought a ResMed Airfit S9 (barely used) for $200. You can learn to find your own ideal pressure settings using open source software for reading your CPAP data (OSCAR). This is almost always necessary when getting a prescription, btw, so you lose little by just doing it yourself.
Ouch. In Canada the sleep study itself and subsequent prescription is covered by our healthcare system - however payment for CPAP/BIPAP machines for treatment will depend on the specific province. When I was first diagnosed in Alberta, there was no coverage - and I didn't have any as I am self-employed and my tiny corp doesn't have enough employees to qualify for a plan. A year later, I moved to Ontario - where our provincial health-care plan covers up-to 75% of the initial cost for a machine.
It was a life-saver - as I have a high-level of sleep apnea (90+ incidents per hour) - a regular CPAP does not cut it, I was prescribed a BIPAP.
It has changed my life - I am incredibly lucky that I got treatment.
