While Medicare cuts benefits for patients that need them, they are throwing money out the window renting oxygen equipment. Medicare has paid over 0 per month for over 10 years for some patients oxygen benefits. Now Medicare put a 36 month cap on oxygen benefits because they are running out of money. Whose fault is that? They will only pay for a patients benefits for 36 months rather than just buy a brand new oxygen concentrator for the patient that needs it. A brand new Respironics Everflo Q or Invacare Perfecto 2 home oxygen concentrator could be found brand new on the internet for about 0. Why don't they just buy the oxygen concentrators outright instead of paying 0 per month and wasting all that money. Patients are losing out because Medicare does not know how to budget there money. Its common sense to the average person, pay a one time fee of 0 or pay 0 times the cap of 36 months, which comes to ,200.
Would it not make sense to save money and just buy the oxygen concentrator outright for the patient? Today, Medicare will make a one time payment and buy out an electric wheel chair for 00. That is why you can turn on your t.v. and see a commercial offering you a free electric wheelchair. Why not just buy an oxygen concentrator outright and just replace the unit if something happens to it? Our population is getting older and if our government keeps throwing the money away there is not going to be any left for the up and coming oxygen therapy patients.
I realize that these home care companies have to make a living but there has to be a solution. Everyone is being hurt. The home care companies are only being compensated for 36 months and asked to continue service for 2 more years without being paid. What type of service is a patient going to get if the home care company is no longer being paid for servicing that patient? Not much. Lets hope the right person reads this article and realizes it is better to buy a new home oxygen concentrators for 0 rather than buy the same exact unit for 00.
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