Lincare is paid to rent oxygen equipment to patients, with HHS covering most of the monthly bills. But those rental fees often add up to many times what it would cost simply to buy the equipment. (Published Nov. 2024) By @peterelkind.bsky.social - ThreadSky

propublica.org • 59 days ago

Lincare is paid to rent oxygen equipment to patients, with HHS covering most of the monthly bills. But those rental fees often add up to many times what it would cost simply to buy the equipment.

(Published Nov. 2024)
By @peterelkind.bsky.social

Comments

rickyofkokiri.bsky.social•59 days ago

Apria is charging my insurance $970 a month and I've had the machine for almost a year. There's no way the equipment costs that much.

montanawill71.bsky.social•58 days ago

New machines are only little over $800

rickyofkokiri.bsky.social•58 days ago

Are you serious??? Woooooow this is a blasted ripoff

nuneslemontree.bsky.social•58 days ago

Oh but I cannot get an MRI cause they see no need to check on my chronic condition. " you need to to PT" they say when PT will not make anything better, there are no exercises that stop ligaments from turning to bone.

nuneslemontree.bsky.social•58 days ago

but over paying for medical equipment is fine.

blueoceangal1.bsky.social•58 days ago

Companies get away with this kind of thing all the time and we wonder why our rates are so high. That's as crooked as crooked can be.

blueoceangal1.bsky.social•58 days ago

I joined a nutritional group through my insurance and after several months, asked via email that they cancel it. 6 months later, they were still charging my insurance for it so I emailed them again. They said I hadn't canceled it "correctly" the first time and all of those charges stood. It's fraud.

libraryanna.bsky.social•59 days ago

I have a home oxygen concentrator and a portable oxygen concentrator, thankfully from a different company. The rental for both is officially $80, but they pay less and I only pay $16 a month.

The company is Apria. The insurance is Kaiser Medicare.

rickw314.bsky.social•59 days ago

They’ll even bill you when you’re dead. You could ask my grandfather, but … you know…

chrish4med.bsky.social•59 days ago

That's true of a lot of durable medical equipment. That whole area is a cesspool of corruption.

But of course DOGE won't care because hey, it's free enterprise.

dchimato.bsky.social•59 days ago

"Feds did little to rein it in" is the key phrase. It's beyond irritating.

jegath.bsky.social•58 days ago

😟

rosemmason.bsky.social•59 days ago

📌

ggreen.bsky.social•59 days ago

This is a problem with United Healthcare as well. I reported this issue over a year ago at my workplace benefits program and with UHC. At the time I could have purchased two O2 concentrators and still paid less than rental costs.

ggreen.bsky.social•59 days ago

@peterelkind.bsky.social I'm going to email you at your ProPublica account to provide more info on this same issue with private insurance, specifically United HealthCare.

sjoneswastaken.bsky.social•59 days ago

UHC probably owns the company that rents the equipment to you.

ggreen.bsky.social•59 days ago

Intermountain Healthcare Home and Hospice. They were way, way better to work with than Lincare or Apria. Still with the rental scams, and pushing overcharged accessory items on a regular basis.

msw599.bsky.social•59 days ago

That is Government waste! What does president musk and his swarmy pieces going to do about that... 🤔@gop

libraryanna.bsky.social•59 days ago

He’ll look for away to get a cut.

debbiedoesnt.bsky.social•59 days ago

Probably collect a pay off for letting them get away with it.

arthurdeodat.bsky.social•59 days ago

Nothing because the company will pay them off

kimk63.bsky.social•59 days ago

Blame Medicare for that. There was a time long long ago that you could’ve purchase oxygen equipment.

veritablevirgo.net•59 days ago

For most of these companies it's the bottom line above all else. I was a customer of Lincare for CPAP many years ago and the experience was not good. Then it was off to another company that was actually decent before being sold to another one that is fairly aggressive with pushing supplies.

sjoneswastaken.bsky.social•59 days ago

Renting a house is more expensive than a mortgage. Renting an app is more expensive than it would be if you could buy it. There's a common theme: "YOU WILL OWN NOTHING, like it, & pay more because we own it"
It's rentier capitalism - a dead end for everyone but the 0.1%
They own - the rest of us pay

ziggypopdlh.bsky.social•59 days ago

The fraud about to get so much worse under the next administration. We are going to be heinously robbed blind.

mccombgjm.bsky.social•59 days ago

I'm sure a sizable donation to the inauguration fund will make everything all better.

badjfd3.bsky.social•59 days ago

Disgusting 😡😡😡

cutiepunkpie.bsky.social•59 days ago

Some discount medical supplies places do rent to own on medical equipment like mobility aids. I don't know how common it is or what stuff is covered for each place, maybe this might help someone. 🙏

grouchymongol.bsky.social•59 days ago

Tried to get CPAP via LinCare through my health insurance.
Was completely ghosted by them - even asking to talk to management and going to their office in person - got never a reply or got anything.
According to my doctor's office - insurance paid for CPAP equipment - but nothing for me.

damanonthestreet.bsky.social•58 days ago

mamadonnae.bsky.social•59 days ago

I’m so sick of this shit.

thesqrpeg.bsky.social•59 days ago

I’m so tired of the citizens of this nation getting ripped off at every turn.
It’s overwhelming how mistreated taxpayers are in this country.

jedicounselor.bsky.social•59 days ago

Disgusting!!

leadfootlj.bsky.social•58 days ago

I've dealt with Lincare before.... filthy bastards !!!!!

swiftwriter.bsky.social•59 days ago

This is infuriating. Medicare fraud should be prosecuted, not given bypasses and multiple chances to deceive.

notthatjc.bsky.social•59 days ago

I’ve been very unhappy with Lincare and the APAP supplies that were set up through them. It seems like I’m getting a surplus of supplies, and now I’m seeing ads from other places whose supplies are about a third the cost (or less).

itsnotaboutthecell.com•59 days ago

Yup. They send me way too much for my CPAP machine, Sleeplay is way cheaper and I can go at my own speed too.

notthatjc.bsky.social•59 days ago

Aha! And thank you for the recommendation.

clevercatt.bsky.social•59 days ago

My daughter has a feeding tube and uses a feeding pump which was costing $600/month. I bought one for less than $1000.

loveon9.bsky.social•59 days ago

I recall receiving a class action notice on Lincare. I still have the not used nebulizer. Just cut off from Medicare. @peterelkind.bsky.social

mlipsitt.bsky.social•59 days ago

N one is better at investigative reporting than @propublica.org and so grateful.

jdslack.bsky.social•58 days ago

I began using a CPAP through Lincare. Disorganized, didn't keep appointments (a 5 hr round trip). Switched when there was a local alternative. But the CPAP model isn't used by anyone (not even LC anymore), so some parts are hard to find and expensive. Medicare only pays for a new one after 5 years.

jdslack.bsky.social•58 days ago

Oddly I got a check from Lincare a few months back, I am beginning to understand why that might be. I am grateful to at least be working with a local and seemingly responsible service now. Thanks for this investigation!

carrieg2121.bsky.social•58 days ago

Post lung tx, my husband needed supplemental oxygen temporarily. We bought a portable concentrator to avoid dealing with insurance. I worried if we needed an in-home concentrator later, ins wouldn't cover it if they had paid for a portable. DME limits your life.

oatsmint.bsky.social•59 days ago

Lincare had done equally horrendous things to patients, and scammed both Medicare and patients, for CPAP equipment and supplies. Linde ($LIN) owns this mess. That is one stock I will never own.

subhousewife.bsky.social•59 days ago

These DME companies are huge ripoffs!

jenvacca.bsky.social•58 days ago

Did little
And will do little

rainbowblight37.bsky.social•59 days ago

Both my dad and my aunt had Lincare in their last stages of life. This is disgusting.

bluturn.bsky.social•59 days ago

Lincare constantly refuses to send proper invoices forcing people to pay back FSA funds

shopwithoutkids.bsky.social•59 days ago

Also- even as Medicare continues to pay, they refuse to replace faulty equipment. 97 yo mom has portable o2 with a battery that won’t hold a charge; they told her to keep it plugged in-Not very portable. Plus she lives in an area with many power outages. 🤦‍♀️

nlmize.bsky.social•58 days ago

File a complaint with your state’s department of insurance. It should get Lincare’s attention very quickly.

madukesof2.bsky.social•59 days ago

Sort of like cable companies. You rent the equipment into perpetuity and never own it. We woke up and bought our own from Best Buy. The best money we ever spent.

joule727.bsky.social•59 days ago

Does Rick Scott own Lincare stock?
Seems he must.

dangfine.bsky.social•58 days ago

I have a CPAP and through my insurance- everything from lincare was 10x the cost. I buy it from Amazon and minimal cost. Insurance and DME providers are a scam.

jane2157.bsky.social•59 days ago

My experience with the c-pap machine was the same

taildragger-john.bsky.social•59 days ago

My Mom had Lincare. Her house looked like a welding shop with all the oxygen cylinders.

ooblick.bsky.social•59 days ago

Lincare is THE WORST! I was paying more as a co-pay than I could get the supplies online from legit US suppliers. They charged over MSRP for everything they sold. I reported them to the insurer, but was ignored. I have no doubt that they were gaming the system.

blueoceangal1.bsky.social•58 days ago

Why does no one do anything about Medicaid or Medicare fraud? Look at Rick Scott in Florida. He got away with the financial equivalent of murder. Why? Because corruption pays. How many other people are reaping the benefits?

ceciliafund.bsky.social•58 days ago

Saw that with my own mother. 😟

wineaintsweeter.bsky.social•59 days ago

Corruption is far too easy in the United States

libraryanna.bsky.social•59 days ago

Hardly limited to the US.

wineaintsweeter.bsky.social•58 days ago

Russia as well.

catcrazy6.bsky.social•58 days ago

When we elect corrupt politicians we get corrupt government. They make laws to protect themselves. Existing laws aren’t used to prosecute them, they are above the law. Insider trading, bribes, rampant FEC violations go unchecked. How are 1 million $ extortion payments legal?

wineaintsweeter.bsky.social•58 days ago

It’s so entrenched in the United States. All under the guise of “free market”

goodtroubl.bsky.social•59 days ago

Agreed and it’s an age old problem in the US.

johnnyrode.bsky.social•58 days ago

The government in America has a major corruption problem, when it comes to how contractors exploit them. Why they are never punished for this, is beyond me.

Remember, the US government still give subsidies to Walmart, a work place that exploit workers and treat them as modern day slaves.

#6'Elon

yopeet.bsky.social•58 days ago

#eattherich

vicvinegar2024.bsky.social•59 days ago

White christian thieves .

dmzoutis.bsky.social•58 days ago

This is what you get when you make healthcare a business. The only "advanced" country with such an evil system. In Japan we are all covered at less GDP even with an aging pop. Health, meds, dental. No medical bankruptcy, no ghouls denying and surprising and chasing. Get sane or keep dying.

57kev.bsky.social•58 days ago

Yet a poor person writes a bad check to feed their family often ends up incarcerated. How can we say our system is the best in the world. Yes, better than Russia, China, N Korea etc....
But is that really saying much????

debbiedoesnt.bsky.social•59 days ago

I don't remember what company my mom was getting her oxygen equipment from. What I do remember was that the oxygen was ordered by a respiratory therapist at the hospital when she was dismissed. Later found out the therapist was paid a fee for the referral. Did she really need it? Nope.

2bme.bsky.social•58 days ago

Here’s something that should be on the efficiency list right…but it won’t be.

hedwigowlett.bsky.social•59 days ago

My consort used Lincare, because our insurance - BCBS at that time - said that's the one they cover. Worst outfit ever. Both bad, but Lincare was probably THE worst I've ever dealt with. And now we find out they were stealing. Nice.

dyepurrdhon.bsky.social•59 days ago

Assholes.

blessyourheart32.bsky.social•58 days ago

Our federal gov has just stopped enforcing laws & holding people/corps accountable for the most part unless they have an ax to grind & use the law as retaliation.

goodtroubl.bsky.social•59 days ago

A greed fest.

jaderesearch10.bsky.social•59 days ago

Correct. Good to document this.

lukechedleh.bsky.social•59 days ago

The MIC: Medical Industrial Complex is way more powerful than the MIC: Military Industrial Complex

astonished-zinc.bsky.social•59 days ago

Lincare is the worst. One of my kids was once hospitalized because they didn't show up.

astonished-zinc.bsky.social•59 days ago

It wasn't our first pneumonia rodeo, doc agreed we could care at home with oxygen, sent proper paperwork. Several hours later, night approaching, doc couldn't reach them. So we all agreed to go get admitted.

astonished-zinc.bsky.social•59 days ago

Kid was fine in the end, but it definitely made a difficult situation even more unpleasant.

ljs17.bsky.social•59 days ago

Yup. Healthcare is so out of control. Needs to be so much more attention to this kind of thing. Thanks for your reporting

fafofran.bsky.social•59 days ago

I am convinced Lincare is partially responsible for my father's death in August. What a dang nightmare it was trying to get his broken cpap replaced. I will never forgive them for what they put him and I through the last three months of his life.

mizmaxgordon.bsky.social•59 days ago

Years ago, I ran into the same thing with CPAP machines (for sleep apnea). Eventually, I just gave up using one.

paulusul.bsky.social•58 days ago

This pisses me TF off

beek208.bsky.social•58 days ago

CPAP supplies are billed to Medicare and sent out to patients. My dad had boxes of unused supplies. They just sent them as often as Medicare would allow. It didn’t matter if he even needed anything. Staggering amounts of supplies. We switched companies & they send out when you request.

forseofone.bsky.social•58 days ago

Crooks abound where all the government money flows.
Covid crooks stole billions.
Medicare is abused by most anyone who thinks they will get away with it. A lot do.
Morals and honesty are getting further and further buried.
mbm

bobbing2.bsky.social•58 days ago

This true of many other companies too; from beds to wheelchairs!

bikeguy2024.bsky.social•58 days ago

Congress needs to legislate a solution!

pheneghan.bsky.social•59 days ago

Pretty ballsy to continue to act this way in the age of Luigi.

andycor45.bsky.social•58 days ago

Lots of stuff is rented out like that...no sense at all!

montanawill71.bsky.social•58 days ago

I use to get my cpap supplies from lincare they charge medicare $400 for my air hose but I can buy it at the local office for $25 cash I reported several times never heard back from anyone

michael-iger.bsky.social•58 days ago

The decision for HHC is a simple calculation of lease versus buy that is done all the time in business. Someone in the agency wasn't doing the math, and it cost taxpayers millions. This could have easily been minimized using mortality tables.

medicine-mortal.bsky.social•59 days ago

Durable Medical Equipment or DME is a cash cow even if it’s done as Medicare allowed.

ohhellno47.bsky.social•57 days ago

dorseymalina.bsky.social•59 days ago

EVIL!

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