Medicare Part B may cover a CPAP machine and supplies for obstructive sleep apnea. CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure. The machine uses air pressure to help keep your airway open while you sleep.

How Initial Coverage Works

Part B may cover a 12-week CPAP trial, including the device and accessories, after a qualifying diagnosis. Medicare has requirements for the sleep test, prescription, and provider documentation.

To keep coverage after the first three months, you must meet two requirements:

  • Your treating provider must see you for a follow-up between days 31 and 91 and document that treatment is helping.
  • Your usage records must show at least four hours of use a night on 70% of nights during a 30-day period within the first three months. Those 30 days must be in a row.

Ask the treating office to confirm the required visit format and timing. CMS policy L33718 explains the continuation criteria.

What Will You Pay?

After the Part B deductible, you generally pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount when the supplier accepts Medicare’s approved amount as full payment, called accepting assignment. Medicare usually pays to rent the machine for 13 continuous months while you use it, after which you own it.

Related supplies can include masks and tubing, subject to replacement schedules and documentation.

Use the Right Supplier

The prescriber and durable medical equipment supplier must be enrolled in Medicare. Ask whether the supplier accepts assignment for every rental month; otherwise, you may face higher or upfront costs.

If you had a CPAP machine before Medicare began, separate documentation and replacement rules may apply. Medicare Advantage plans can also require an in-network supplier and approval before you receive the machine, called prior authorization.

Book the follow-up when the machine is delivered, and ask the supplier how the clinician receives your usage records. If the mask leaks or the device is difficult to use, contact the care team early; do not wait until the coverage review to raise the problem. Confirm that the supplier received the follow-up documentation.

Medicare policy sources last checked: October 8, 2026.