Soldiers May Not Have to Pay for their Own Rape Kits Anymore

There are lots of ways that health care services for U.S. military members fail service members when it comes to sexual health. While efforts like this one are making progress in putting sexual health on the DoD and VA agenda, there’s still a long way to go. I’ve always been disturbed by the fact that currently TRICARE, the military health insurance, doesn’t cover forensic exams (also called “rape kits”) used for examinations following sexual assaults. So if you’re assaulted you may have to pay out of your own pocket for the exam that can assist you not only in recovery but also in documenting the assault needed to press charges.

Cara over at the Reproductive Rights blog recently pointed us to a proposed change to the rules that would allow coverage for such exams. You can read the proposal here and if you want to support it you can register a comment about the proposed change here.

Read more – Reproductive Rights Blog: Military Insurance (TRICARE) proposes to cover post-assault exams

Related – Post-Combat Soldiers and Sex

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