DOZENS IMPROPERLY BILLED FOR RAPE KITS: ATTORNEY GENERAL

Dozens of people who were sexually assaulted were improperly billed for rape exams by a New York City hospital, the state’s attorney general said Tuesday. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said that under an agreement with his office, the Brooklyn Hospital Center will reimburse patients who paid out of pocket for a rape kit and will inform patients that under a 2005 New York state law the rape kits can be billed to the state’s Office of Victim Services. Schneiderman said he has also sent letters to 10 other hospitals throughout the state seeking information on how they bill for the kits. “These kits are used on what is undoubtedly one of the worst days of a survivor’s life,” Schneiderman said. “The absolute last thing they should have to worry about is how they’ll pay for their care at the hospital.”