How Much Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Cost on Average?
Around 133 million Americans suffer from chronic disease, over 40% of the total population. While some are manageable daily, others can be difficult to live with.
For that reason, you may be looking into various types of treatment. One such treatment you may have come across is hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy? How much does hyperbaric oxygen therapy cost?
In this article, we’ll answer these questions and more.
What Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
You may have heard of people using hyperbaric chambers for decompression sickness, otherwise known as “the bends.” This can happen when divers come up to the surface too quickly.
As a result of high pressure, nitrogen is dissolved in your blood. Then, when the high pressure goes away, this forms bubbles, which can cause many issues, such as fatigue and muscle pain.
To alleviate this condition, people go into hyperbaric chambers. Inside, the air pressure is increased to three times its normal pressure. As a result, you can gather more oxygen from the air than usual.
When your lungs take in all this oxygen, it circulates it through your blood. This helps you fight off infections and promotes the release of growth factors and stem cells.
What Can It Help?
HBOT is used for various ailments. Some may be FDA-approved, while others are “off-label” use.
The FDA has approved hyperbaric oxygen therapy for:
- Decompression sickness
- Wounds from diabetes
- Failed skin flaps and grafts
- Tissue damage caused by radiation
- Acute traumatic ischemias
- Gas gangrene
- Chronic wounds
- Non-healing wounds
- Necrotizing soft tissue infections
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
Some off-label uses for hyperbaric oxygen therapy include:
- Traumatic brain injury
- Cerebral palsy
- Autism
- Sports-related injuries
You and your doctor can discuss if this type of therapy may be beneficial if you have one of the above conditions.
How Much Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Cost?
Now that you know a bit about the therapy, you might wonder about the hyperbaric oxygen therapy cost.
The cost will heavily depend on whether you’re using it for on or off-label use. Generally, if you’re using it for on-label use, it’ll be covered by most insurance plans. So, for instance, if you’re getting hyperbaric oxygen therapy for diabetic wounds, your insurer should cover your costs.
However, if you’re using hyperbaric oxygen therapy for one of the off-label uses, your insurer probably won’t cover the costs of your treatment. But it’s always worth asking them to see if they’ll cover any of your expenses.
You can generally expect to pay around $250 per session when visiting a clinic. Patients usually get 40 to 80 sessions, costing between $10,000 to $20,000.
If you have professionals come to your home with a portal chamber, costs are a little lower. You can expect to pay between $75 to $100 per session if you use room air and $150 for an oxygen concentrator. This type of treatment (“soft” HBOT) will cost between $6,000 and $12,000 for 80 sessions.
Below are some other factors that may affect HBOT treatment costs.
How Serious Your Health Condition Is
You’ll need fewer sessions if your health condition isn’t that serious. This means that treatment will cost less than someone with more severe symptoms.
While this might seem like it’ll cost more in the long run, do keep in mind that the beneficial effects of hyperbaric oxygen treatment may be worth it compared to letting the issue get out of hand and getting additional medical treatment to fix it. It can also prevent future complications from cropping up.
The Type of Provider You Use
There are two types of providers: hospital-based and independent. For hospital-based providers usually only see patients for on-label use. However, they accept most insurance plans.
Independent providers will see patients for both on and off-label use. However, in most cases, they won’t accept insurance.
How Much Does a Hyperbaric Chamber Cost?
The at-home hyperbaric chamber cost is not cheap. However, it can be used for mild therapy sessions, which may help bedridden people reap the benefits without traveling to a doctor.
If you’d like this option, you’ll be pleased to know that you have the choice of a portable hyperbaric chamber. You can either rent or buy one for use.
If you decide to rent one, that can cost anywhere between $1,500 to $3,000 per month. However, this means you can do unlimited sessions over a few months, which can be cheaper than going to a clinic. You can also use a rental as a test run before deciding on purchasing a hyperbaric chamber.
If or when you want to buy one, expect to pay between $5,000 to over $17,000. The price depends on the specifications; larger hyperbaric chambers will cost more.
If you decide you don’t need more treatments with your chamber, you can always sell it to recoup your losses. You’ll be glad to know that these items have excellent resale value, so it may be well worth buying a hyperbaric chamber, using it for however long you need, and then selling it to someone else.
Get Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to Improve Your Health
Now you know the answer to the question: how much does hyperbaric oxygen therapy cost? You also now have much more knowledge on this subject than before.
So isn’t it high time you reap the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy? You might be able to find an effective solution to relieving your symptoms from certain health conditions.
Are you looking for more interesting reads? Then check out the rest of our blog section.
Yvan Lebrun is a trusted expert in the field of product & service reviews. With over a decade of experience analyzing and comparing services online, he shares his valuable experience with readers at GoodSitesLike so consumers can make educated decisions before making a purchase.
