How much does a CPAP machine cost, and what do Medicare and insurance pay?

What does a CPAP machine cost to buy outright?

About $900 to $1,350 for a current ResMed machine at large US retailers in September 2026, and each of them requires a prescription before it ships.

Prices read from each store's product page on September 24, 2026 are below. Two things change the retail picture. First, Philips: an FDA consent decree announced April 9, 2024 restricts the production and sale of new Philips Respironics CPAP machines at several US facilities until requirements are met, and on September 24, 2026 none of cpap.com, Easy Breathe or ResMed's store listed a new DreamStation 2 for sale, only parts. Second, the price at the top of a search can be stale: the Easy Breathe page ranking first for "how much does a CPAP machine cost" still shows a Memorial Day sale price of $674.50 for the AirSense 11, a sale that ended May 26, 2026, while the same store lists $1,349.00 on its product page.

• ResMed AirSense 11 AutoSet: $1,004.00 at cpap.com.
• AirSense 11 AutoSet with HumidAir humidifier and standard tubing: $1,054.00 at ResMed's US store; with ClimateLineAir heated tubing, $1,096.00.
• AirSense 11 AutoSet with humidifier: $1,309.00 at Easy Breathe; with ClimateLineAir heated tube, $1,349.00.
• ResMed AirMini AutoSet travel CPAP: $919.00 at cpap.com and at ResMed's store. Easy Breathe says the AirMini "cannot be billed to insurance".
• ResMed AirFit F20 full-face mask, complete: $155.00 at cpap.com and at ResMed's store, $158.00 at Easy Breathe.
• ClimateLineAir heated tubing: $46.00 at cpap.com and Easy Breathe, $49.00 at ResMed's store.

What does Medicare pay for a CPAP machine in 2026?

Medicare rents the machine from the supplier for up to 13 continuous months. In most of New Jersey the 2026 rental is $50.04 a month for months 1 to 3 and $37.53 for months 4 to 13, $525.42 in all. After 13 paid months the machine is yours.

Medicare.gov says Medicare pays the supplier to rent a CPAP for 13 months as long as you use it continuously, and that you own it after 13 continuous months of payments. The payment rule, 42 CFR 414.229, sets the rental at 10 percent of the purchase price for each of the first 3 months and 7.5 percent for each month after, so months 4 to 13 pay 75 percent of the first-month amount. CMS's July 2026 fee schedule lists the New Jersey rental for code E0601 at $50.04, and $48.56 to $49.44 in ZIP codes inside the three former competitive bidding areas: Jersey City and Newark; Elizabeth, Lakewood and New Brunswick; and Camden. No New Jersey ZIP code is on CMS's rural list, so the higher rural amount does not apply in the state. If you stop using the machine for more than 60 days plus the rest of that rental month, a new rental period needs a new prescription and new paperwork, and switching suppliers does not restart the 13 months. The arithmetic for most of New Jersey:

• Months 1 to 3: 3 × $50.04 = $150.12.
• Months 4 to 13: 10 × $37.53 = $375.30.
• Medicare-approved total: $525.42. Your 20 percent after the deductible: $105.08. Medicare's 80 percent: $420.34.
• If none of the $283 deductible is met when the rental starts: $283 plus 20 percent of the remaining $242.42 ($48.48) is $331.48.

What keeps Medicare paying after the first three months?

Use and a documented check-in. Between day 31 and day 91 your treating clinician must re-evaluate you in person and review data showing at least 4 hours a night on 70 percent of nights in any 30 consecutive days of the first three months.

Those conditions come from the Medicare equipment policy for PAP devices, LCD L33718. If they are not met, "continued coverage of a PAP device and related accessories will be denied as not reasonable and necessary." A late re-evaluation that shows benefit restarts coverage only from the date of that visit. Someone who fails the initial 12-week trial can re-qualify only with an in-person re-evaluation and a repeat sleep test in a facility, which is a new testing bill. Commercial plans often use the same adherence rule: Aetna's policy, last reviewed July 21, 2026, requires 4 or more hours a night on at least 70 percent of nights in a consecutive 30-day period. If mask leaks, pressure or dryness are getting in the way, raise them with the care team early rather than waiting for the deadline.

How much do CPAP supplies cost each year?

At Medicare's usual maximum quantities and 2026 New Jersey allowed amounts, $1,166.80 a year for a full-face mask setup, $1,046.16 for a nasal mask and $949.44 for nasal pillows. Your 20 percent is $189.89 to $233.36.

LCD L33718 lists the "usual maximum amount" of each accessory Medicare expects to be reasonable and necessary, and quantities above it are denied. Suppliers may not ship automatically: they must contact you and record a yes before each refill, no sooner than 30 days before the current supply runs out, and may not send more than a three-month supply at once. Mask liners are not paid separately. The table uses the New Jersey amounts outside the former bid areas.

What do commercial insurers pay for CPAP?

They publish their own rules, and many mirror Medicare's: the same adherence threshold, similar supply limits and, in some plans, the same 13-month rental. What you owe is your plan's deductible and coinsurance.

Three published policies, read September 24, 2026:

• Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey's CPAP supply policy, revised August 27, 2026, does not reimburse supplies above its frequency chart, for example one full-face mask and three full-face cushions per 90 days and six disposable filters per 90 days, and pays for supplies only when the equipment meets its sleep apnea medical policy. It states that where the provider is participating "there shall be no member liability", and where the provider is non-participating "the member's liability may be up to the provider's charge".
• Aetna's Clinical Policy Bulletin 0004, last reviewed July 21, 2026, considers CPAP and auto-CPAP medically necessary after a positive in-lab or home sleep test, continues coverage when the physician documents benefit and 4 hours a night on 70 percent of nights, and covers replacement at the end of the 5-year useful lifetime.
• EmblemHealth's rental policy limits CPAP rental to 13 months of continuous use, after which ownership passes to the member, and considers replacing member-owned equipment every five years.

Which supplier questions decide what you owe?

Whether the supplier is enrolled in Medicare, whether it accepts assignment for every rental month, and whether it is in your plan's network.

Medicare.gov warns that if a supplier does not accept assignment "you may be charged more", and that for rented equipment you should make sure the supplier will accept assignment for all rental months, "otherwise you'll have to pay the full cost of your DME upfront" and wait for Medicare to pay you back. Federal rules require the supplier to tell you before delivery whether it will accept assignment for the whole rental, and the supplier that starts the rental generally keeps supplying the machine until the 13 months end. If you choose a newer-technology or upgraded item, the federal rule ties that choice to a signed Advance Beneficiary Notice, so ask what the upgrade would cost you before you sign.

When does Medicare pay for a new machine?

Medicare gives a PAP machine a 5-year reasonable useful lifetime. A replacement after 5 years needs an in-person visit that documents you still use and benefit from it, but no new sleep test.

LCD L33718 says a machine replaced within the 5-year reasonable useful lifetime because of loss, theft or irreparable damage from a specific incident needs no new clinical evaluation, sleep test or trial period. After 5 years, an in-person evaluation must document continued use and benefit, with no new sleep test or trial. If you had a CPAP before joining Original Medicare, Medicare can cover a replacement machine or supplies when a qualifying sleep test was done before enrollment and, after enrollment, an in-person evaluation documents the diagnosis and that you still use the machine.