driver medical a rip off
Information for Health Professionals.
https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/licensing/update/medical/professionals
If your doctor is your family doctor and you have been seeing him/her for some years, it is ONLY necessary to have a medical with one fee every 5 years.
The other 4 years are at the sole discretion on the doctor based upon your medical history.
If you have a pre-existing condition that is unstable, then a medical will be required every year for which you pay.
If you are in good health, have an annual blood test, check BP, etc, a doctor does NOT have to slug you a fee.
If they state they have to, direct them to the link above and tell them it is NOT necessary.
We are being ripped off because doctors are not reading the whole of the medical certificate conditions, and see it as a money making venture.
In Queensland we have to have a medical every year but what some of the medical profession are doing, is to slug the exhorbitant fee every year. It is not necessary.
Year 1 is a full medical which you pay for.
Years 2, 3 , 4, are based on your family doctors records of your health and what conditions you may or may not have.
Year 5 is again the full medical which you pay for.
Doctors are NOT doing bulk billing here, they spout they can't as it is a medical for a driver's license.
If that be true, why was my husband's medical a month ago, was a chat, the doc looked at the Optometrist report and that was it. No BP check, no heart check, nothing! The conversation centrered around what my work my husband was doing at home. You call that a medical? My husband has annual blood tests to keep a check on anything that may go awry, annual eye checks as well. So why not sign the damn certificate based on his records of about 12 years. He is healthy and is more fitter than the overweight doctor he is seeing, not to mention twice his age.
I don't know if it can be done, but I would like to battle on with this and have my husband recover his HR license that was stolen from him because doctors want to rip off the system.
Beemee, I know where you are coming from especially since you are not bulk-billed -- I had the HR license too and had had it for many decades -- but I also had to lose that as well I just have a C license now --
I THINK you can hang onto the HR IF you pay for a driving test again for it -- every year
I agree I think it is a rip off as well --- sure they have to be sure that you are fit to drive -- but they should know that if you are a regular at the Drs.
“ the doc looked at the Optometrist report and that was it.”
Of course that was it , doesn’t matter if you are as strong as an ox, if driving a car you must be able to pass an eyesight test indicated uncorrected or corrected vision in your better eye is better than 6/12.The test for buses and trucks is more stringent, and you must be able to see better than 6/9 in your better eye or better than 6/18 with both eyes. Your peripheral vision will be tested, the degree to which you can see from both sides of your eyes can impact your driving. You will need to prove you have a horizontal extent of vision of at least 110 degrees within 10 degrees above or below the horizontal midline. Therefore not surprising your doctor heeded your optometrist report. You can do another testing by a different optometrist and see what they come up with.
Of course you need glasses too. Did I say it was the Optometrist report that lost his HR? No, my husband has very good sight and the doctor was surprised just how good considering his age.
The point I am making is, this law is open to conjecture. It is NOT written in concrete. Read the link I gave, and you will see that for 4 years the full medical is NOT required, it can be taken off his existing records considering he is our family doctor. On the 5th year, then before going in to get your license renewed you must have a full medical.
The remaining 4 year between can be a more relaxed medical that is bulk billed, and also based on existing files on record.
PlanB, you may be correct. I may be able to get it back. My husband has no heart condition, blood pressure normal, cholesterol in good range, brilliant eyesight to 180 degree peripheral vision (better than me), and strong lungs, also good are bladder, liver, blood work, prostate and all in the inside stuff.
Yes Plan B, it is possible to do. Have appointment with the Doc second week in January as he is on holidays. Phoned the transport mob and all set to upgrade back to HR license when he gets the Medical Certificate.
A medical after reaching a certain age is a farce. I have a neighbour who was suffering from dizziness leading to periods of unconsciousness and he was still driving. The neighbour said that he could feel it coming on and pulled over each time but couldn't explain why he collapsed in the supermarket. His doctor suggested that he inform the RMS (NSW) but the doctor couldn't actually give the RMS a report. It should be mandatory for medical people to be able to report such incidents. Why does 75 years of age trigger a medical when people younger than that can also have a medical episode that can cause crashes?
As regards licence changes, that has nothing to do with a medical condition alone. On reaching 75, a licence for any vehicle above class "C" will be granted upon passing a driving test applicable to the vehicle concerned and an eye test.
Not as yet has my husband been asked to do a driving test, they need an eye test annually though. He is now 78.
Yes I agree it is a huge farce.
Went to the service station to get some fuel a few months ago. I remained in the car taking the mileage and sorting payment. I watched this dithering old fool fill his tank in front of us on the next set of bowsers. Hubby finally returned and we sat waiting till this clown had paid and came back to the car. I related to my husband what I saw while he was in paying, and that was at least 3 attempts at putting the cap on after filling. Each time he had to look at the underside of the cap just in case there was some midget that wasn't allowing him to put it on.
Then when he got in the car, he couldn't decide what gear he wanted and finally selected reverse, oh boy panic in our vehicle as Hubby hit the horn. No kidding, this guy drove off in one direction, changed his mind and wandered all over the place before deciding. We took no chances, we sat there and waited until he was gone out of sight.
I am not talking about an 80 year old either, this guy would have been no more than 60, and he had lost the plot entirely. If this medical is so good for keeping road users safe, how in the hell did he get to pass his medical???
I agree that so many YOUNG drivers have NO idea and most can't even drive a manual car -- they also can have medical problems --
Why are they always talking about older drivers when the worst ones I have seen are young drivers, doing very dangerous things on the road.
Media stereotypes like the older driver or the partying uni student are perennial column fillers for editors on slow news days. The stories are already written. It just takes a bit of a buff up by the nearest hack.
Maybe all drivers should be required to undergo a medical and drug test before renewing their license?
TRouble is exPS if that were to happen they would make sure on the day they were clear
Probably PlanB, but I doubt someone ob ICE could think that far ahead. Come to think of it, it may well prove to be a test in its self, if you can think ahead far enough to clean up your act for the test, you aren't too far gone.
The first priority should be random drug and alcohol testing at Parliament House in Canberra.
The poor driver problem is well expressed by John Cleese (Dunning-Kruger Effect)
So true musicveg. I have heard more about younger drivers having accidents and maiming or killing whosoever they hit. What of the seniors? Ran into a shop, pole, another parked car. But at least the times I have seen or heard on TV news, there has been no deaths of others, except perhaps the odd driver who had the accident initially. We are a class of our own, we don't kill others and take ourselves out only.
Also Beemee, we also have much better and more manners
It helps that by mature age the majority of stupid drivers have been culled out by the inevitable consequences of their own poor choices.`
There are plenty of studies to show that although older drivers may not enjoy the full extent of the physical abilities they once had, they compensate by driving within their limits. For example, by not driving as much in the evening hours.
Must agree, I do not drive at night unless I have to, even though I have driven professionally, I now realize that my night vision and reflexes are not what they used to be. I have never been in such a hurry that it was worth putting my life and others at risk.
I look at hoonoing as just another phase of natural selection at work.
Well said PlanB and LJ. You are spot on.
Doctors visit tomorrow and see how we go in getting the HR back. Will be back to update.
Good Beemeeand good luck -- look forward to hearing how you go.
CHECK YOUR DOWNGRADED LICENSE!
Hubby went into the Doctor and all is good and he passed the medical with flying colours. Didn't see he wouldn't as I have seen 60 y.o in worse condition.
So off he wanders to the Transport mob to get his license moved from a C to HR again.
Now it gets sticky, they say his license only shows a motorbike only and an open license. Well didn't that throw the cat amongst the pidgeons. They even showed him and its the replacement he got yesterday, just in time to take it in to change it.
So all is good, he now has his car license, motorbike and HR once again. Don't know what the doctor charged or if he did, as I only got a quick call while he waiting in the Transport building for some paperwork.
Hooray, now he can legally drive the pantech we have for moving at a later date.
Good on him Beemee-- glad he went for it again
Yes hubby had to pay another $162.00 to get the medical. Glad I didn't go with him as WWWIII broke out. Wow did my husband give him a shafting.
So here's what was learned. The Doctor surgery belongs to a conglomerate, so THEY set the fees. As soon as that bit#h comes back, hubby is going head to head with her too.
Went from the surgery to the Transport mob to get the license back. Imagine his horror when they woman asked him was he going from an R to HR? Not impressed! Where my Beep Beep car license? The transport screwed up for a second time. The last time was they took away our open Motor bike licenses, and we were onto them right smart quick and in a hurry, and got them back.
Hopefully I will be moving before the next round of Medical certificates, due in mid December 2019.
Now we can drive out truck with our furniture in it once the house is sold.
What a drama for U2 Beemee. Good luck with your move. Despite the hassle, imagine it's cheaper than getting removalists.
My last doctor's surgery was part of a 'conglomerate' ... best thing I ever did was to ditch their questionable diagnoses/services on the GC, Qld and register with a local practice 2 minutes away who bulk bill have been terrific to date.
That's what will have to look for after we move, a local practice. Our Doctor does bulk bill except for the medical annually.
Yep is cheaper. Looked at a shipping container, rent or buy, both over the top in costs. Moved to a trailer, but needed to enclose it so it protects from weather. Again expensive. Looked into a cheap caravan to gut so we could use that, all around $10,000 that would make it to our destination and some at $3500 I doubt would make it around the block. So we looked into a custom made trailer already enclosed, oh boy that $10,000 too. So stuff it if we were to spend that type of money, we may as well buy our own moving vehicle. Now we own a truck and it was $12,000. It will fir everything we own into it as its 4 metres long. I am looking forward to the move and wish it was now.
Beemee, I don't understand what you meant by
'Doctor surgery belongs to a conglomerate,'
My Dr is in with a lot of other Drs in a medical center thing owned by a couple of the Drs -- but I am always bulk billed and I have been with the same lot for 38 years --and I see the same Dr all the time BUT can see other if I wish.
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I wish you well with your move and hope it all goes well for you and you are happy in your new area.
For want of a better word, a money grabbing cow owns the surgery and employs doctors to work there, she is not a doctor. She's the one who is the problem. It is not a private practice but a medical centre. Hope that helps.
We are the same, there are about 4 doctors working there, but when she says you can't do this or that, it is law. She recently shut down an internal toilet, so patients doing urine tests or whatever, have to walk outside to the public one at the rear of the building. I believe all shops in the area use that amentity. Its shocking really, what of those in wheelchairs, or having something wrong they can not walk out there?
Thanks for answering that Beemee --- we do have one of that sort here as well with Drs employed -- they bulk bill all I THINK? as many of my friends go there as they are still working -- I am on the pension so my Dr bulk bills me at the surgery I have always gone to.
The NEW surgery they have just built is pretty darn flash -- and HUGE -- and it is very difficult to walk such a long way from the Reception to the surgery when you have a problem walking, you would think that so-called Drs -- that own it would realize what a literal pain it is to have to walk so darn far.
Also when you get into the surgery the chair at patient has to sit on had a lumpy plastic back -- so very painful -- is there a reason behind this -- I bet there is
Beemee, In NSW we have to have a medical for our driving license every year after we turn 75 -- that includes eye test and a medical and at 85 we have to also have a driving test --
My Dr bulk bills me as I have been going to the same surgery for 38 years and I also have to see my Dr quite often