A bill pending in Nebraska's legislature would create a statewide fund to protect sexual assault victims from receiving medical bills for forensic rape examinations and other sexual assault services, reports World-Herald Bureau.
Federal law currently dictates law enforcement agencies in Nebraska cover the cost for forensic rape examinations. However, some bills still slip through the cracks and end up in victim's hands, and the effect can be traumatizing, Amy Richardson, president of the Women's Center for Advancement, told World-Herald Reporter.
The bill under consideration would create a fund to which medical providers could directly bill for sexual assault services to prevent bills from ever coming to a victim's mailbox.
The bill also aims to resolve privacy issues related to rape kit charges accidentally appearing on insurance statements. Ms. Richardson said sexual assault victims' parents sometimes receive insurance statements that include medical fees for the victim's treatment before the victim is ready to talk about what happened, according to the report.
Nebraska is one of 12 states without a program to pay for rape kit exams. By relieving law enforcement of the financial responsibility for these services, state lawmakers hope to improve the quality and availability of the exams.
The Lincoln police department spent $72,000 on rape kit exams last year, and $101,000 on exams in fiscal year 2014, according to the article.
In addition to funding the exams, the proposal would broaden the distribution of sexual assault examination kits to providers across the state and increase training for sexual assault nurse examiners in more rural care settings.
"This bill is about making sure that all victims of sexual crimes receive the best care at a facility located near them from a trained professional who is using an up-to-date kit," Assistant Attorney General Ryan Post testified at a public hearing from the Legislature's Judiciary committee, reports World-Herald Bureau.
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