Lansing resident Heather Boyer said her insurance covered her hospital costs when she was raped in 1999.
“The hospital experience was very positive,” Boyer said.
But not all survivors can cover the expenses to cover a rape kit.
“The out-of-pocket costs can be scary and intimidating,” Boyer said.
State Sen. Shirley Johnson, R-Royal Oak, hopes to change this by amending the Michigan Department of Community Health Budget to provide funding for the Crime Victim Compensation Fund, which covers the costs of rape kits.
Currently, survivors of sexual assault have to pay for or have their insurance cover the cost of evidence collected by physicians in a rape kit. The kits can cost up to $800.
The bill is in the appropriation committee under the Department of Community Health and will be reintroduced in the fall.
Rape kits are small boxes containing swabs and beakers and other evidence gathering materials. The expense comes from hospital charges for time and personnel to do the physical exams, take photographs and gather physical evidence police need to make an arrest.
Most insurance companies will cover the cost, but many students do not want the charge to show up on their parents’ insurance, Johnson said. The state does have the victim compensation fund, for those with no other resources, but there are loopholes in the act and not enough money, which Johnson said she hopes to change.
“If I had my way, a woman could walk in the hospital, point her finger at the perpetrator and would not have to worry about taking care of her needs,” Johnson said.
Boyer said her personal experience led to her position as the executive director of the Crime Victims Advocacy Council, which aims to support and provide services for victims of any crime. Boyer said she works with survivors to let them know the loopholes.
The crime must be reported to the police within 48 hours and victims must cooperate with the law enforcement agencies, the prosecutor and the Crime Victims Services Commission to be compensated, Boyer said.
“People have just been through the most horrible thing in their life and they have only 48 hours to sort things through. It’s just too much,” said physiology senior Rebecca Zader, a sexual assault counselor at the Listening Ear Crisis Intervention Center, 1017 E. Grand River Ave.
“It’s an added stress to the situation, after being raped to have to find the finances to cover a rape kit.”
