On the costs of first class medicals in Melbourne
I just went through my first medical class 1 here in Melbourne so I thought I'd give a rundown of the costs incurred. So here they are, for what it's worth in May 2019 A$:
Optometrist: $275 for a full one-hour check-up
Blood sample analysis: $90
Audiogram: $95
Electrocardiogram: $45
DAME: $475 (!?)
CASA: $75 (!?)
On a personal note, the only fee I find warranted in the above is perhaps the optometrist's. The lady did a thorough work and was super professional. That's definitely on the pricey side for a one-hour check-up but she truly gave me the impression that I left her place knowing more about my eyesight than when I came in. I can't say nearly as much of the DAME.
The ECG, audiograms and blood sample analysis are cow-milking schemes, no wonder here. That's especially true for the audiogram.
The DAME's fees are just way out of line. I have nothing against GPs in general but my guess is, they're on the low end of earnings of all medical practitioners and they're probably just trying to make a quick dollar in today's solid Aussie economy.
It honestly is just a very sad fact that a straightforward class 1 lands you north of $1000 in this country. There's obviously a cartel at work here when GPs can charge you such a fortune for one hour of their time. There seems to be no control or oversight on their fees and competition in that environment just doesn't work because this is no free market. To a larger extent this is yet again another example of how common things or services end up being disproportionately expensive in Australia compared to other OCDE countries. And boy do I feel for those of you whose class 1 required extra checks.