How a device maker inundated pain patients with unwanted batteries and surprise bills

Michelle Bean is drowning in batteries she doesn’t need.

For two years, the batteries and electrode pads arrived each month at her home in West Boylston, Mass. In theory, they’re supposed to power a basic pain management device she ordered from a company called Zynex Medical in 2020. In reality, they sit in her closet, taking up an annoying amount of space. 

They became a minor nuisance in her life — one of those weird quirks of the medical system. Before she bought the electrical stimulation unit, Zynex assured her the supplies would be covered by Tufts Health Plan, her insurance company. But a year ago, Zynex informed her that the Tufts plan had never paid, and instead, those bubble-wrapped packages were going to cost her almost $1,000.

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