Tweet
I did my medical exam yesterday and wanted to share how it went, maybe it helps someone. I called 5 offices from the USCIS list. Two of them had the earliest available appointment at the end of January. One of them was in the process of moving their offices. The other two had appointments available next day, so I asked about the price and whatnot. First one said it is a flat fee of $400 and then up to $800, based on which vaccines are needed. OK, that sounded about right, in the same price range I've seen other people paid. But I decided to give a call to the last office and turns out, their flat fee was $280, plus any vaccines on top of that and they were available next day. Great!
I went to that office, filled out a short form and presented my vaccination record I had brought from Europe. They took an urine and then blood samples, measured my height and weight, and that was it. Turns out I only needed the flu shot and the tDap since all other vaccines had been done, per my record. They gave me the option of getting the vaccines there or going wherever else I wanted. I decided to do them at Costco, which ended up being $20 for the flu shot and $42 for the tDap. The nurse said it will take 3-4 days to get the lab work done and they'll call me back when it's done. So, all in all, the medical was $342 before the insurance kicked in.
Takeaways:
1. Call a few offices around you. As you can see, prices differ quite a bit.
2. Bring your vaccination records. If you travel back to your home country before the interview, get your hands on it and bring it back. It will not only save you money, but also the unpleasantness of possible side effects and double vaccination.
3. Don't schedule it less than one week before the interview because the lab work takes a few days. Give yourself time.
4. Costco is awesome for a lot of things and vaccines is one of them. If you have one near you, it's most likely cheaper than the doctor's office and they take most if not all insurances. I ended up paying $0 for the vaccines because they were covered by my insurance but if you're not covered, their prices are really great regardless.
I went to that office, filled out a short form and presented my vaccination record I had brought from Europe. They took an urine and then blood samples, measured my height and weight, and that was it. Turns out I only needed the flu shot and the tDap since all other vaccines had been done, per my record. They gave me the option of getting the vaccines there or going wherever else I wanted. I decided to do them at Costco, which ended up being $20 for the flu shot and $42 for the tDap. The nurse said it will take 3-4 days to get the lab work done and they'll call me back when it's done. So, all in all, the medical was $342 before the insurance kicked in.
Takeaways:
1. Call a few offices around you. As you can see, prices differ quite a bit.
2. Bring your vaccination records. If you travel back to your home country before the interview, get your hands on it and bring it back. It will not only save you money, but also the unpleasantness of possible side effects and double vaccination.
3. Don't schedule it less than one week before the interview because the lab work takes a few days. Give yourself time.
4. Costco is awesome for a lot of things and vaccines is one of them. If you have one near you, it's most likely cheaper than the doctor's office and they take most if not all insurances. I ended up paying $0 for the vaccines because they were covered by my insurance but if you're not covered, their prices are really great regardless.
Comment