Cost for Class 3 Medical?

Hang 4

Hang 4

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Hang 4
Just got my class 3 done and didn't pay attention to the bill. It was $225, which seems high to me for a class 3. I'm guessing they billed for class 1 as there are a lot of puppy mills in my area of FL.

Does this seem high to the rest of you?
 
Ask your AME about his overhead.

Not all docs pay the same monthly rent. Some have kids in college and some have expensive ex-wives. Plural intended....

I went to a guy in Anchorage that had is office in one of his houses. He was cheap. I mean that in a expensive way.
 
Last medical I had was $60... the doc gave all local pilots a discount. His office was a walled off section in the back of his T-hangar (he was 90 years old and otherwise retired).
 
I pay over $100 and hour for an A&P I don't see why my AME should not get the same.
I paid $165 in California for my last class two medical and it is safe to say she spent more than two hours on it.
My basic med was less than $100 two years ago in Arizona.
 
Hang 4 said:
Just got my class 3 done and didn't pay attention to the bill. It was $225, which seems high to me for a class 3. I'm guessing they billed for class 1 as there are a lot of puppy mills in my area of FL.

Does this seem high to the rest of you?
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Doctor...4 years of undergrad with STEM degree at >3.5 GPA (no social life for you) just to get into med school. 4 years of med school. 3-5 years of residency. Lifetime continuing education. $3-400K in debt. Huge amounts of responsibility, daily. Malpractice lawyers gunning for you. Dealing with the FAA. And you a whining about the equivalent of 1.5 hours of dual instruction in a rental? If I was an AME, I wouldn't do it for less than $500. $750 for a Class 1. At $225, he/she/it is not getting rich.
 
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Morgan3820 said:
Doctor...4 years of undergrad with STEM degree at >3.5 GPA (no social life for you) just to get into med school. 4 years of med school. 3-5 years of residency. Lifetime continuing education. $3-400K in debt. Huge amounts of responsibility, daily. Malpractice lawyers gunning for you. Dealing with the FAA. And you a whining about the equivalent of 1.5 hours of dual instruction in a rental? If I was an AME, I wouldn't do it for less than $500. $750 for a Class 1. At $225, he/she/it is not getting rich.
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Except the going rate seems to be around 100 to 150. Dr spent 20 min, had assistant that could barely speak english do most of the work. No way Dr spent more than the 20 min he was with me. I'm happy to pay a professional what they are worth, but in this case I feel like I got over charged. My last one was 100% done by Dr and cost half of this one.
 
I think I pay 125 (then 45 for the EKG).
 
Vance Breese said:
I pay over $100 and hour for an A&P I don't see why my AME should not get the same.
I paid $165 in California for my last class two medical and it is safe to say she spent more than two hours on it.
My basic med was less than $100 two years ago in Arizona.
Click to expand...
My appointment was probably 10 minutes, so is that 1/6th X $100?
 
Hang 4 said:
Except the going rate seems to be around 100 to 150. Dr spent 20 min, had assistant that could barely speak english do most of the work. No way Dr spent more than the 20 min he was with me. I'm happy to pay a professional what they are worth, but in this case I feel like I got over charged. My last one was 100% done by Dr and cost half of this one.
Click to expand...
Yeah same, assistant did the eye test, and had the neutral face so I thought I was doing something wrong.
 
Morgan3820 said:
Doctor...4 years of undergrad with STEM degree at >3.5 GPA (no social life for you) just to get into med school. 4 years of med school. 3-5 years of residency. Lifetime continuing education. $3-400K in debt. Huge amounts of responsibility, daily. Malpractice lawyers gunning for you. Dealing with the FAA. And you a whining about the equivalent of 1.5 hours of dual instruction in a rental? If I was an AME, I wouldn't do it for less than $500. $750 for a Class 1. At $225, he/she/it is not getting rich.
Click to expand...
Gosh, and to think when I was younger that I wanted to be a Doc (thankfully I didn’t go that route), really a terrible profession, unless you love people and the front lines of customer service. If you pay attention to the Docs at a facility, they are the equivalent of a puppy mill. Room to room with a 30 second break to play on their phone in between. Rinse and repeat.

Docs earn more in the US compared to many other countries (to pay their insurance and education bills - now we gotcha you’re stuck in the hamster wheel!), only to fuel the legal system and lawyers. Being a lawyer is a much better profession, you can operate and at a much lower level (whereas a Doc would have been sued already).

Then how to keep the medical system going, with substandard food to the people!

It’s an economy generated by the system.
 
Dana said:
Last medical I had was $60... the doc gave all local pilots a discount. His office was a walled off section in the back of his T-hangar (he was 90 years old and otherwise retired).
Click to expand...

At any given distance, Bet the patient reads the eye chart better than the doctor.
 
mandm said:
Gosh, and to think when I was younger that I wanted to be a Doc (thankfully I didn’t go that route), really a terrible profession, unless you love people and the front lines of customer service. If you pay attention to the Docs at a facility, they are the equivalent of a puppy mill. Room to room with a 30 second break to play on their phone in between. Rinse and repeat.

Docs earn more in the US compared to many other countries (to pay their insurance and education bills - now we gotcha you’re stuck in the hamster wheel!), only to fuel the legal system and lawyers. Being a lawyer is a much better profession, you can operate and at a much lower level (whereas a Doc would have been sued already).

Then how to keep the medical system going, with substandard food to the people!

It’s an economy generated by the system.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, it’s the profession, my daughter has chosen. The good side is that she will be a US Navy doctor, which operates a little differently, She will be very good at it.
 
3rd class recently and paid $130. Chicago area, so very surprised.
 
I just got a 3rd class last week, at an AME that's part of the occupational medicine group at a larger clinic, and it was $365. It seemed fair to me, and I really like this doc, but it's definitely gone up since a few years ago.
 
Hang 4 said:
Just got my class 3 done and didn't pay attention to the bill. It was $225, which seems high to me for a class 3. I'm guessing they billed for class 1 as there are a lot of puppy mills in my area of FL.

Does this seem high to the rest of you?
Click to expand...
Like many services, the price for FAA medicals varies widely in my area. If I get a post card reminding me of ny medical expiration from an AME I have not previously used, their prices are usually more than I am accustomed.
 
Hang 4 said:
Just got my class 3 done and didn't pay attention to the bill. It was $225, which seems high to me for a class 3. I'm guessing they billed for class 1 as there are a lot of puppy mills in my area of FL.

Does this seem high to the rest of you?
Click to expand...

I paid $150 for my Class 3 a year ago.
 
One of my AMEs quoted a price but then said he gave a 50% discount to pilots.
 
I'm new to aeronautics. This is my 1st post to this site. Changing emphasis to aero- from nautical, so to speak. I hear there's a lot less pressure above MSL, (cymbal crash). Unfortunately, post-911 GI Bill used up, not interested in retiring, so it looks like I'll be doing DIY as much as possible. Is an AME consult advised first, or do I just grab my credit card and go for it?
 
wcallen1959 said:
Is an AME consult advised first, or do I just grab my credit card and go for it?
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If you are not sure then a consult is money & time well spent.

Do you have any particular concerns that you want to throw out into the forum and see what responses you get back?
 
What limitations, if any, are imposed by a VA 10% disability for tinnitus? (Only chink in the armor). What documentation do I need to take to my AME appointment?
 
My AME charges 200. Personally, compared to what I spend on other aviation related items it's not too bad. My shop charges 135 an hour for labor, my plumber 150, my electrician 150, the guy building my dock 140. None I f these guys have the education my AME has the stress. Oh BTW my lawyer charges 400 an hour and a lot of that time is "research."
 
wcallen1959 said:
What limitations, if any, are imposed by a VA 10% disability for tinnitus? (Only chink in the armor). What documentation do I need to take to my AME appointment?
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I don't think there will be any limitations, but it is a question for the AME. I have a 20% disability (diabetes) and the only thing is I need the exam annually with a worksheet signed by my primary care physician.

You will need to fill out the FAA MedExpress form before your appointment.
 
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