Your ALS Guide

  • Home
  • Get Started
    • About ALS
    • Newly Diagnosed
    • People with ALS
    • Veterans with ALS
    • Caregivers
    • Family & Friends
    • Research & Treatment
  • Planning
    • Health Insurance
    • Employment
    • Medical Decisions
    • Care
    • Advance Directives
    • ALS Nutrition
    • Transportation
    • Home Modifications
    • Travel
  • Equipment
    • Overview
    • Braces
    • Home & Daily Living
    • Bathroom
    • Mobility
    • Respiratory
    • Communication
  • Resources
    • Support Services
    • ALS Clinics
    • Support Groups
    • ALS Registry
    • Get Involved
    • Resource List
    • Glossary
  • About
    • Our Story
    • Myna's Story
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Contact Us
  • Home
  • Get Started
    • About ALS
    • Newly Diagnosed
    • People with ALS
    • Veterans with ALS
    • Caregivers
    • Family & Friends
    • Research & Treatment
  • Planning
    • Health Insurance
    • Employment
    • Medical Decisions
    • Care
    • Advance Directives
    • ALS Nutrition
    • Transportation
    • Home Modifications
    • Travel
  • Equipment
    • Overview
    • Braces
    • Home & Daily Living
    • Bathroom
    • Mobility
    • Respiratory
    • Communication
  • Resources
    • Support Services
    • ALS Clinics
    • Support Groups
    • ALS Registry
    • Get Involved
    • Resource List
    • Glossary
  • About
    • Our Story
    • Myna's Story
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Contact Us

Cough Assist Machine


A cough assist is an airway clearance device that helps your breathing by clearing phlegm and fluid-like secretions from your lungs. Most people with ALS use cough assist machines and feel more comfortable as a result.

​Regular use can maintain the strength of your diaphragm and help prevent infections like pneumonia and bronchitis.


Picture
- Respiratory Symptoms
- Respiratory Support
- Monitoring Breathing
- Introduction to Devices
- Masks and Interfaces
- Bilevel Sleep Therapy
- Noninvasive Ventilation
​
- Cough Assist Machine
- Suction Machine
- Invasive Ventilation
- Multi-Function Ventilator
- Advance Directives
- Traveling with Devices
- Recommended Products 



How does a cough assist work?

When your respiratory muscles are weakened, it can become difficult to cough strongly enough to draw phlegm from your lungs up to your mouth. The cough assist machine simulates a natural cough by applying positive pressure to inflate your lungs before using a vacuum-like suction to pull everything up.

​Once secretions are in your mouth, you can use a suction machine to clear everything out.

How often should I use it?

You should use your cough assist regularly, even when you don’t feel you have anything in your lungs to clear. Regular use, such as once in the morning and once in the evening, serves as therapy to strengthen your diaphragm, keep your lungs clear, and reduce the chance of infection, which can be more difficult to recover from for people with ALS. Each session produces multiple coughs and typically lasts between five and ten minutes.



When should I get one?

If you are experiencing a weak or impaired cough, your neurologist will order you a cough assist machine, often during a clinic or doctor visit. A durable medical equipment (DME) company will process the order through insurance and deliver the cough assist to you at home or at your ALS clinic. A respiratory therapist will train you and your caregivers how to use it and adjust your settings if needed.


How much will I have to pay?

Cough assist machines are considered rentals for the first 13 months and are covered through Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance plans. After 13 months, the machine becomes yours and your supplies will continue to be covered by your insurance. You will need to be proactive and ask your insurance for replacement masks, tubing, and filters ahead of time.

Medicare will cover 80% of the cost of your monthly rental. Medicaid, supplemental plans, and secondary private insurance should pay for the remaining 20%. If you have Medicare but do not have Medicaid, a supplemental plan, or secondary private insurance, you will likely have to pay the remaining 20% out of your own pocket.

If you do not qualify for Medicare—but have Medicaid and/or private insurance—find out what your durable medical equipment (DME) benefits will cover. If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, be sure to ask about your DME benefits.

If you are facing out-of-pocket expenses that you cannot afford, talk with your DME provider and/or local ALS organization about financial assistance options. Respiratory equipment is not generally available from loan closets, but you can always ask.

If you have questions about any of this, the social worker at your ALS clinic or someone from your local ALS organization can help guide you through the process.

Military veterans: Your coverage for equipment, including respiratory devices, is different than what is listed here. Learn more.

​Respiratory Guide Home
Picture

Get Started

About ALS
​Newly Diagnosed
People with ALS
Veterans with ALS
Caregivers
Family & Friends
​​Research & Treatment

Planning

Health Insurance
Employment

Medical Decisions
Care

Advance Directives
​
ALS Nutrition
Transportation

​Home Modifications
​Travel

Equipment

Overview
​
Braces
​Home & Daily Living
Bathroom
Mobility
Respiratory
Communication​

Resources

Support Services
ALS Clinics

Support Groups
​ALS Registry
​Get Involved
Resource list
​Glossary

About

Our Story
Myna's Story
​Our Team
Newsletter
​Contact Us
Copyright © 2021 Your ALS Guide