You would think that rape victims would be treated with a little more kindness and care after seeking a medical exam following a rape. But you would be wrong.
This is yet one more reason why we need Medicare For All.
“This is a call from a debt collection agency for Duke Health,” the person said, according to the student. The caller informed her that she owed hundreds of dollars for her emergency room visit for the rape examination.
“Before that, I had no idea I owed any money,” the student, who asked not to be identified, told The 9th Street Journal in an interview. “I asked them to talk to my mom because it was really traumatic and hard, but they didn’t do that. They kept calling me over and over again.”
Rape victims are not supposed to be charged for sexual assault exams, but the rules have loopholes.
Read the full online article in the INDY WEEK (article by Cameron Beach Feb. 14, 2020, 11:34 a.m.)
Duke Hospital Sends Bill Collectors After Student Rape Victim
Of course, if we had Medicare For All, this type of re-victimization of rape victims would not happen — because nobody would be billed for getting an exam or treatment following a rape! Victims would get the medical care, exams, and the discretion they need to be able to resume their lives, while at the same time ensuring any bio-evidence of the crime is preserved for future litigation against the perpetrator. And they wouldn’t have to worry about hospitals siccing collection agencies on them afterward.
It really is ridiculous and obscene that we are still having to fight the re-victimization of victims of sexual assaults in 2020. When you go to the polls to vote, think about which candidates support Medicare For All. Then think about and remember which candidates are just fine with allowing rape victims to be billed huge amounts of money to get the treatment and exams they need versus which candidates support healthcare plans that put all patients (including victims of sexual assault) first. There is a significant difference between the candidates!