European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 12, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes saturday september 12,1987 loss of bidder forces Dod to change champs test  Bureau Washington Effort to test a Reform of Hampus the defense department s health insurance program faltered after the sole bidder for a con tract in one of four lest areas withdrew its bid. But a Pentagon health affairs spokesman said the Hampus Reform test would still go Forward. There is no requirement for a certain number of bids nor is to Lucre a requirement for a minimum num Ber of test regions he said. There s nothing to keep this test project from going ahead on a smaller  Blue Cross and Blue shield of Florida the Only bid Der for inc Florida and Georgia area pulled out of the bidding because hospitals in those Stales would los Money under new payment rules governing Cham pus diagnostic related group drug services that go into effect oct. I. Under the new system most beneficiaries will pay a Low fixed daily rate for common inpatient care serv ices. The drug fixed rates were lower than the discounts we had negotiated with facilities and physicians Here in Florida said a spokesman for the stale s Blue Cross and Blue shield. Thai aspect of the champs Reform initiative together with some other concerns such As the Overall financial viability of the program led us to conclude that the risk for our organization and for our existing policyholders was just too great he said. Defense department officials wanted o lest the re form in four areas California and Hawaii Georgia and Florida North and South Carolina and new or leans. Volunteers would enrol in the program called Hampus prime. They would receive an enhanced benefits package but unlike the. Regular champs system they d be required to visit Only those health care providers specified by the contractor. The withdrawal of the sole bidder for Florida also dashed the plans of Blue Cross and Blue shield of Louisiana one of two bidders for new Orleans. A spokesman said that officials were counting on technical help from their Florida counterparts if they won the new Orleans contract. The firm has withdrawn its bid he said. In drawing up inc Reform initiative. Pentagon health care officials thought contract Competition and More extensive Cost controls would streamline operations save inc government Money and offer beneficiaries a Low Cost alternative to champs. Dul the Florida Blue Cross and Blue shield spokes Man said enthusiasm in the health insurance business for the Pentagon proposal has been mixed because it would require those firms to assume the risks if costs for medical care run above the fixed rate established in the champs contracts. Numerous companies were initially interested but few bids were received. No one has bid on the contractor North and South Carolina. An Industry official said there is apparently Only one bidder for the California and Hawaii contract foundation health corp. Of California. The other bidder for the new Orleans contract is Delta health network. High wired technician. A photo a Telephone company technician spends a id of time tithe air Over Gross Ono Italy these Days. He s making final connections for an alarm system throughout North Era Italy s Vall Cuimei Region. 11 Hill allow about 70 sirens to sound simultaneously in Case further flood discs to occur in the bar tend Valley. World today tapes link vice president of Yugoslavia to scandal Belgrade Yugoslavia a Security agents have seized tapes of speeches by vice president Ham Dyja Pozderac in which he allegedly supports plans of the company involved in the nation s biggest financial scandal a newspaper reported Friday. Meanwhile a parliament official was quoted As say ing that the Cost of the scandal could be s875  the Belgrade daily Politika said the tapes made the Case seem like a yugoslavian version of watergate. It dubbed the scandal Aroko Marceale yugoslav officials previously said thai agro Domerc in its Rush to develop issued uncovered promissory notes Tor Between $300 million and $500 million. Sixty three Banks gave the company funds based on the unsecured notes and now face substantial losses. Turkish airlines office in Vienna firebombed Vienna Austria a two youths threw a Gaso line bomb Al a turkish airlines office causing slight damage and left behind a placard condemning Turk ish militarism police said Friday. The attack on the offices in downtown Vienna happened at 9 25 . Thursday 8 police spokesman said. The placard left behind said we condemn on it seventh anniversary the military Putsch in  there was no one in the offices located opposite the stale opera on a Busy downtown thoroughfare. Thai anti piracy program gets $1.1 million from . Bangkok up Thailand s internationally funded anti piracy program Friday received a Check for s 1.1 million from the . High commissioner for refugees. Commissioner Jean Pierre Hocke presented the Check which completes funding for the program for 1987-88. To Suwit Sulhan Kul Secretary general of the thai National Security Council the Council coordinates the program carried out bythe thai Navy police and Harbor department. The program with a budget of j2.6 million i funded by 11 countries Australia Canada Den Mark Britain. Italy Japan the Netherlands Norway Switzerland Germany and the United slates. Thai boats and planes patrol about 18,000 Square mites of sea where thousands of vietnamese refugees have been raped robbed or killed by pirates. Dutch Queen s sister to visit japanese emperor the Hague Netherlands a Princess mar Grill sister to dutch Queen Beatrix will visit Japan i emperor Hirohito next month As part of a four Day Trade promotion trip to Japan the dutch government information service announced Friday. The announcement came Only nine months after planned japanese visit by Queen Beatrix was cancelled because of Public protests focusing on Hirohito s responsibility for he deaths of thousands of dutch Colo Nials in japanese internment Camps during world War at the invitation of the japanese court the Princess will pay a Courtesy visit to the emperor said the government announcement which gave no precise Dale for the Courtesy Call. Canadian Leader s party crushed in elections Toronto a prime minister Brian Mulroney s conservative party suffered a crushing defeat in provincial elections thai gave a minority Liberal government its first majority in Ontario in to years. Thursday s election which focused on a proposed Canadian free Trade pact with the United Stales returned Premier David Peterson to office in Canada s most populous province. His liberals have been Cool to the idea. The liberals won 94 seals in the 1 30 Seal provincial legislature. The socialist new democratic party look 9 scats and Mulroney s progressive conserva Tives held on to just 16. The result of the race for the remaining scat was not Avail Able Early Friday. The liberals took 47 percent of the Vole and the new democrats became the official opposition in the province. Peterson had called the general elec Tion As Leader of a 2-Ycar-old minority government. In the previous legislature the liberals had is scats. Conservatives 50, and the new democrats 23, there was one vacancy. The conservatives provincial part Leader Larry Grossman lost his own District in Toronto to a Liberal. Other tory seals held for a Century also fell. It was Mulroney s idea to seek a comprehensive free Trade part with the United states to prevent the . Protection is surge from harming the world s largest trading partnership. Grossman fully backed the Federal initiative in the Campaign while the new democrats opposed free Trade on the grounds it could Cost jobs in the brewery textile farming and other industries. Peterson said conditions should be set to ensure no jobs would be Tost through such an Accord. Ontario is Canada s wealthiest prov Ince with 9.2 million of the nation s 26 million population and the Best Access to . Markets. It supports More than 100.000 jobs in the Auto sector alone and Only Quebec has comparable Indus trial i fit. Peterson 43, a charismatic figure whose wife is an actress ran a Low key Campaign after doing poorly in an initial television debate in the 40-Day Campaign. But at country fairs picnics and barbecues supporters scrambled for Auto graphs from the Gray haired Premier who promised to improve schools Dean up Lake Ontario and make in easier for people to buy their first Homes. For Peterson the Victory May have seemed inconceivable two Yean ago when an election returned a minority conservative government which quickly  then convinced National demo cratic Leader Bob Rae to support a Liber Al minority government and he took of fice As Premier. Peterson chose to seek a full mandate and a majority government in order to strengthen his position As Leader of Onta Rio in any free Trade Deal with the United states