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 Purchased from an authorized vendor through a sleep clinic, a CPAP
machine can cost $600 to $2,000 for patients with little or no
insurance coverage, the authors write.
“We did not speak directly with sellers or buyers, so we can only
speculate on why this market exists, but we suspect that sellers
have CPAP machines they no longer use or no longer need, while
buyers are unable or unwilling to pay for CPAP through usual
methods,” said coauthor Dr. Ken M. Kunisaki of Minneapolis Veterans
Affairs Health Care System in Minnesota.
In obstructive sleep apnea, the throat muscles relax and block the
airway off and on during sleep. The CPAP machine increases air
pressure in the throat to prevent the airway from collapsing.
A secondhand CPAP machine may not cause direct medical harm, but
patients may be spending their hard-earned cash on a device that is
not properly set up for them, without education on proper use,
cleaning procedures, troubleshooting, warranty claims, and
manufacturer recalls, Kunisaki said.
In October of 2014, the researchers searched Craigslist weekly in 18
U.S. cities and regions including Maine, Detroit and San Francisco
for CPAP devices. Then in May of 2015 they placed an ad to
anonymously survey CPAP buyers in each region.
There were 270 advertisements for secondhand CPAP devices, with more
available in larger cities.
“We only looked at the posted advertisements, so we do not know how
many of these resulted in a sale,” Kunisaki told Reuters Health by
email. “We have not seen any data regarding what percentage of CPAP
users are using a secondhand device acquired through one of these
online markets.”
More than three quarters of ads did not say who had used the device,
why it was being sold or its pressure setting. More than half
advertised a mask included with the device without information on
the age of the mask or how it had been sterilized.
On average, the devices were listed for $291 and most were $500 or
less. Only five of the 270 ads mentioned a prescription requirement,
as reported in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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“Although it is technically illegal to issue a CPAP machine without
a prescription, we are not aware of any lawsuits filed against an
individual selling their secondhand CPAP device,” Kunisaki said. “We
did not speak directly to any sellers, but we suspect most are
unaware of the legal requirement for a prescription.”
The researchers’ ads to survey CPAP buyers were flagged as
inappropriate posts on Craigslist and removed within 48 hours.
Reputable companies only sell CPAP machines to patients with a
prescription, said Joshua Fogel, professor in the department of
business management at the Murray Koppelman School of Business at
Brooklyn College. For specialized machines, this can cost as much as
$3,500, Fogel told Reuters Health by phone.
Secondhand sellers may be selling their machine because it is
defective, and would not disclose that information, said Fogel, who
was not part of the new research.
“Ideally, (patients) should get a CPAP machine through their
doctor's office or durable medical equipment (DME) company, who will
then provide education and ongoing support for the CPAP device and
supplies,” he said.
Patients with little or no health insurance coverage may use
programs like the American Sleep Apnea Association's CPAP Assistance
Program, a better alternative to consumer-to-consumer sales, he
said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2b1qJcU JAMA Internal Medicine, online August
8, 2016.
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