Did I get ripped? Class 1 Medical Costs

[Jazzy78910]

So I recently undertook my Initial Class 1 Medical, and I get the feeling I have had to pay far too much...

I live in a smaller town (not a capital city), so I was expecting to pay a bit more than the average, but I'm not sure if this is bordering on the ridiculous?

Consultation with DAME:
Health Questions
General Checkup
Hearing Test
Basic Eye Test
ECG Heart Test
Urine Test
$330.00 AUD inc

Consultation with Ophthalmologist:
Specific Eye Tests
De-briefing the next day with results
$250.00 AUD inc

QML Pathology blood tests:
Blood Glucose
Cholesterol etc
$92.00 AUD inc (Doc told me I wouldn't have to pay, but apparently this cannot be bulk billed as its a commercial medical)

CASA processing fee:
$75.00 AUD inc (Yet to be taken from my credit card, but I assume it will after the test results have all been compiled.

So thats around $750.00 AUD inc all up, and I for some reason (maybe I read it), was expecting more like $300 - $400...

So have I been ripped, or is this pretty standard pricing for an initial class 1?

Thanks for replies.
Jazz

[BlinkC182]

From what I can recall my cost was - $210 for the doc (which included the blood test fee) $220 for the ophthalmologist (no debriefing required, just told on the spot that all was ok, although I did have to go back a few days later to have my eyes checked with contacts in, at no extra cost) and something around the $70 mark for the CASA fee.

I think your doctor is the one who stings.

[ausindo]

I have yet to do my Class 1 Medical, and I am going through my GFPT, but I too would like to know the average costs that will be incurred for DAME and Ophthalmologist in the Sydney area.

Does anyone have any suggestions as well, check CASA's website but there are so many and I am trying to find the best deal!

[maverick22]

Best advice is to shop around first. Make some phone calls and get prices. Even better, ask other pilots who they would recommend in your area. Also, it's one thing getting a bargain, but you also want a decent doc who knows what they're on about.

[Blue Carpet]

My Class One

DAME: $150
Ophthalmologist: $140
CASA processing fee: $75

$365

[tmpffisch]

I'd say absolutely, but factor in the small town location....

My inital class one, done in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne last year was:

Consultation with DAME:
Health Questions
General Checkup
Hearing Test
Basic Eye Test
ECG Heart Test
Urine Test
$165.00 AUD inc

Consultation with Ophthalmologist:
Specific Eye Tests
De-briefing the next day with results
$165.00 AUD inc

QML Pathology blood tests:
Blood Glucose
Cholesterol etc
$0.00 AUD inc

CASA processing fee:
$75.00 AUD inc

[harrip]

Is the Ophthalmologist inspectoin only required for the initial issue of a Class 1, or for the renewals also?

[Hasselhof]

Initial issue and a handful of other times over the years

[Jazzy78910]

I guess this just cements my decision to up and move to a capital city to undertake my training.

If a doc can rip people for this much extra, god knows how much more I'd be paying locally for the flight training. From my initial inquiries of local training costs, it also sounds like more than it should be...

Jazz

[Mr. Hat]

Throw it on the aviation tab big fella. Round it up to to 100k for an atpl. Round figures are easier to work with...

[Track5milefinal]

Yes, you were ripped off!!

In Adelaide i payed $100 for GP appointment (DAME)
$85 for my Opth appointment and the $75 for the CASA processing fee.

That was Initial aswell.

I think it depends on where you live! Sydney seems to be the biggest ripoff!!
Nothing in Aviation is cheap!!:ok:

[makespeed250kt]

Last Class 3 renewal:

DAME consultation = $164.45

ECG = $49.65 charged as a seperate item

Total = $214.10 not including CASA fees

Forgot to mention test was conducted in a Melbourne suburban practice,

Cheers

[ABX]

Jazz,

Yep you were ripped. I'm not at home right now so I can't check my paperwork, but my Class 1 cost about $500 all up.

Opthalmologist at Shepparton, DAME and eveything else at Albury.

CPL/MECIR at Albury for $50K - why pay $100K in the city?

Happy New Year.

ABX

[Mr. Hat]

De-briefing the next day with results

F@rk me dead Jazzy anyone would think you will be joining NASA for a mission to Mars. Seriously its a bit of an over kill 750 bucks.

[ausindo]

Can I get a ball park figure as to how much it would cost to do the medical including Opth. as so that I am not getting ripped off.

Thanks guys!

[tmpffisch]

ausindo

DAME - $165 (incl. ECG, urine & blood workup)
Audiologist - $50
Opthamologist - $165

[The Green Goblin]

In a small country town I sometimes got slugged up to $250 for a medical fee from my DAME, felt pretty jibbed with that at the time.

First medical i payed $50 for the DAME and a couple of hundred for the Ophalmologist. There were no CASA cost recovery measures in place at the time.

Medical booked this week, DAME is $90 plus the CASA slice :(

[ausindo]

Thank you tmpffisch, I live in the south west and I remember last time someone was going to charge me $200 for DAME, however I have forgotten which place it was.

I hear that the one near Bankstown airport is not good either for a DAME, do you have any suggested areas in Sydney, I am happy to travel all the way to Chatswood or else where.

[Tiger 77]

wow, the day i have to pay $750 for a medical is the day i'll be starting my new job driving a bus :) Absolutely crazy!

Last year...

Dame: $132
+ casa fee ($70 ish i think)

$330 just for a consultation with a dame seems way too high, no matter which small town you're in.

Cheers

Tiger

[flypy]

tmpffsch: Who's your DAME? I like the price of that..

Doctor $290
Optho $90
Audio $0
Patho $0 (so far)
CASA $75

So, I did better than I thought i would.

Initial Class 1 issue.

[Top_Cat]

Add me to the pile of guys who reckon you got reamed. My initial medical costs;

DAME medical: $134
Opthal: $150

[havick]

Just did my class1 RENEWAL (Age 25 years)

- Doctor $175 (incl bloods, hearing test, urine test, ECG and the general consult stuff)
- CASA Fee $75

Thats in Adelaide at the main airport.

I did shop around and found a DAME for about $90 with all the trimmings, but couldn't slot in a booking due roster and hence had to pay the extra money. Still, it wasn't soo expensive in the end by the sounds of other peoples posts.

[increasedescent]

I'd definitely blame that one on the small country town factor.

But surely CASA would've applied a surcharge for that?

[rwy01]

Welcome to Aviation, you might see a return in a few years.

Cheers

[Grob109]

I just paid $145 to have my Class 1 medical renewed. Plus CASA fee $75.

[Rudson Machado]

So I’m doing my Class 1 Medical, now (December 2019)

Health Questions
General Checkup
Hearing Test
Basic Eye Test
ECG Heart Test
Urine Test
QML Pathology blood tests:
Blood Glucose
Cholesterol etc
$360.00 AUD inc GST

Consultation with Ophthalmologist:
Specific Eye Tests
De-briefing the next day with results
$130.00 AUD inc GST

and I needed a spares glasses (new prescription) witch I didn't have, so that was again $233.00

CASA processing fee:
$75.00 AUD inc

Sydney prices, December 2019. Not easy haha I need a sugar daddy or mummy.

[SCPL_1988]

CASA have a policy and demands that have nothing to do with safety and total lack of consideration
for the costs that they create.

I'm in Canada and the US where most of the time, the AME does the eye sight and hearing.
I've had CASA tell me I have to get an eye specialist report every six months and that's because
of age, where every one has the start of cataracts.

My Aus CASA medical was $250 in Ottawa and that was in the running for the shortest time medical ever,
the eye report cost $95, the Audiogram, $90, the blood tests and ECG somehow were free but I would not
count on it that way in future. Then of course, the rip of $75 from CASA for putting the medical on the file.

Safety is one thing, being an economic cancer is another.
When ever I speak to pilots in Australia I hear nothing but hatred towards CASA
and its a shocking example of how absolute power corrupts absolutely to
enable a government monster to go out of control and its getting worse not better.

I'm noticing that CASA have gone "big brother" with their phone system.
They use call display to screen their calls and if you are asking a question they don't like
or don't want to answer, they block your call and or tell you to put your question in an email
which gets an generic answer telling you to look up the answer without
providing the direct answer.

They do the same in every email, send you links that assume everyone
is incapable of research before they ask a question.

Then there is their Voice Answering system, a classic example in
corporate passive aggressiveness.

"an officer is unavailable"
meaning, the POS's think they are they are "officers", when they are public servants
but that does not dwell in their corporate brains.

The recording infers that no one is going to take the call so hang up.
Then it reveals that you are going to have to wait in a line and
now, you will be abused with endless commercials that no one wants to listen to.

Its a real good reason to leave Australia and or not return just to never have to deal
with CASA.

Has anyone come up with four more appropriate words for CASA?

[airdualbleedfault]

Cheapest class 1 Renewal I've heard of in Perth is 200 Inc ECG, but I know people pay upwards of 300. Ophthalmologist, be lucky to walk out with change from 300 and nothing from medicare as its aviation medical