That question about medical oxygen requiring a quackdoktor’s prescription caught my attention a couple decades ago. Turns out the holdup/difficulty is actually insurance, especially Medicare, which will only help pay if there is a prescription. And some quacks are reluctant to prescribe since they don’t get a kickback on it?
And I’ve never heard such a bunch of whining and weaseling when one tries to explain the difference between industrial and medical oxy: THERE IS NONE. Having been in numerous gas production facilities I’ve seen that the two come off the same high pressure manifold. The only difference is the size and color of the bottles. Cleanliness is not an issue since pressurized OXY has to be clean or it will diesel. Cost is a factor when “medical” is used. “Industrial” is not expensive at all.
For my own part, I keep industrial OXY and have used it numerous times to help friends recover from anesthesia and injuries. I also have concentrators which come in handy for more sustained recoveries. They can also power a cutting torch.
There’s been a few tense conversations between me and various quacks about recovery from anesthesia. I’ve gotten them to admit that there can be permanent brain degradation from anesthesia. But then I’ve found out, on my own, that supplemental OXY after a procedure, for a week or two, depending, can greatly help to get one back to normal, especially much faster than if left alone.
And oh, by the way, I’ve seen supplemental OXY help a lot in recovering from clotshot damage. For instance it will help dry up a watery lung. Anyway, I’m a big fan of keeping a handy source of OXY around and I really don’t give a bleep about what my own quack thinks about it.
Many years ago I delivered ‘H’ tanks all around metro Boston. The H's are the big ones probably 5 feet tall and 130-140 lbs. when fully loaded. A real bitch to drag those up to 3rd floor dwellings. I was big and very strong in those days. I handled it easily.
Anyhow, one day I had to refill 20 tanks. I went to a Union Carbide place and we simply switched out empty ones for full ones. The invoice I was given was for just over $2.00 each. The companies were charging Patients (Medicare) 30 Dollars and more per tank. It was very lucrative. I am sure it is a lot more these days.
I seriously considered getting into that racket, but I had enlisted in the Army. I returned with 2 kids and practically no money. It never panned out.
Home Care is a serious money maker for many of these once fly by night operations. Some are very big in the DME industry. They rack in incredible money selling their wares to people and bureaucrats who have absolutely no concern about the outrageous costs.
I have long said that ‘Oxygen grows on trees’ and if a guy (Joseph Priestley) could harness the stuff 200 years ago, it likely is not that difficult.