ObamaCare: Health Care Reform and its Effect on Sleep Apnea

BOSTON, Mass. (Jan. 7, 2014)—Health insurance is a fast changing landscape in the United States with the implementation of ObamaCare, also known as The Affordable Health Care Act. Health insurance companies are doing something called cost shifting where the cost of care gets shifted onto the patients. For people who suffer with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), this is can be a costly shift. According to the World Health Organization approximately 100 million people worldwide have OSA or sleep apnea. Treating sleep apnea is crucial. The most common and lifesaving treatment is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy, which is an assisted breathing machine that keeps airways open while someone is asleep. Before this new insurance legislation, the health insurance companies would replace CPAP equipment hoses and masks every three months with a mandatory replacement every six months according to manufacturer recommendations. But now, some health insurance companies are not paying for the three-month replacements; they will only cover the six-month replacement. Additionally, some health insurance companies will not be replacing their CPAP machines as often as patients are used to. And while some insurance companies might replace machines, the patient has to pay more in order to get their supplies. Since this shift will be affecting patients’ pocketbooks, it is even more crucial to keep CPAP equipment and accessories as clean and well-maintained as possible. Which is why Better Rest Solutions’ (BRS) offers its second generation CPAP cleaning and sanitizing machine—the SoClean 2. A CPAP machine, which should be cleaned daily, is often neglected either resulting in someone not using their CPAP machine or possibly contracting an illness from a germ-ridden environment. Neglect to the equipment not only costs the patient money, but also costs them their health. The SoClean 2 is an automatic, CPAP sanitizing machine that uses safe, natural, activated oxygen (ozone) to thoroughly sanitize the entire CPAP system by destroying 99.9 percent of mold, bacteria, and viruses it comes in contact with—without chemicals or water. Instead of replacing your CPAP equipment or dealing with cost shifts and uncertainty under Heath Care Reform, save your money and instead choose to maintain and sanitize. For more information on Better Rest Solutions and the SoClean 2 device visit betterrestsolutions.com.