ALBANY — BronxCare Health System (BronxCare) has reached a settlement with the state of New York to resolve charges of illegally billing sexual assault survivors for hospital services in violation of state law, according to the New York Attorney General's Office.
The settlement stems from an investigation conducted by the Attorney General's Office that found BronxCare billed nearly 20 patients for rape examinations and billed some of the patient's insurers, some of which were sent to collection, the Attorney General's Office said. In some cases, the hospital's emergency room doctors also sent separate bills to patients with the hospital failing to inform patients of their billing options, per state law, according to the office.
“The trauma of sexual assault is more than enough for a survivor to bear," New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. "The secondary trauma of fighting an illegal bill for a forensic rape exam is unfathomable, and we will not allow it to continue. Let me be clear; hospitals have a fundamental responsibility to comply with New York law. My office will continue to do everything in our power to protect survivors and their rights.”
The attorney general's statewide investigation into illegally billing sexual assault victims has resulted in settlements with eight facilities, according to James' office.