For once in a long time, I've got really good health insurance through my employer. (Only a 10% co-pay!)

I went in for a sleep study to see if I really had sleep apnea as my girlfriend expected.

I do, and quite bad, quitting breathing for over 2 minutes several times a night. So they got me set up with a CPAP machine, which is a machine that powers a mask that provides a good amount of air pressure into my breathing pathway to blow everything up sort of like a balloon so that I don't suffocate myself when sleeping (My throat pretty much collapses on itself).

This thing has immensely helped me. I am much more alert during the day, as my brain isn't repairing itself from oxygen deprivations each day.

Then I got my copy of what they billed my insurance - Nearly $5,500 for the sleep study, and $2,400 for the CPAP machine.

That's $5,500 to have me sleep in a bed with a bunch of wires on me. $2,400 for what's basically an air-blower hooked to a mask with a bit of electronics to monitor and keep the air pressure steady. (I'm a serious techno-geek, I could probably build the same thing for about $400 in my garage, if not less.)

Like I said, I've got good insurance. I "only" had to pay $640 for my part of the deal. But where do they get off charging such an insane amount for so little? No wonder insurance is so damned expensive. Although I am not taking any pressure off the insurance companies, this is outrageous that a medical provider is charging so much, just because they can "get away with it." WTF?

Something's wrong about several parts of the equation. Thieves everywhere. That could have been done for half the price and the provider would have still made a good profit, and another person could have been treated for something as well. Makes me sad and disappointed. :(