European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 8, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 18 a the stars and stripes business hews Naf medical claim processing still lag most payments fall Short of 2-week goal by Randy Mcclain financial writer three and a half months after unveiling a streamlined procedure for settling medical claims in Europe the army a non appropriated fund insurance program is falling Short of its goal to pay All patients within two weeks. A Rcv Icv of 226 medical claims processed since the programs inception March 19 shows the average patient is being reimbursed for medical expenses in roughly 30 Days according to Marcia co dwells european manager of the Naf benefits Branch. A we Haven to reached the goal of 10 working Days but we did no to expect to be there yet. This program is still in its infancy a co dwells said. Her office serves roughly 6,500 Naf employees and their family members in Europe including people who work at child care centers recreation centers enlisted clubs and armed forces recreation Center facilities. Civilian employees of the stars and stripes also Are covered under the army a self insured plan. The Naf benefits Branch in Rodel him West Germany took on the added responsibility of cutting checks to reimburse patients for overseas medical charges after numerous complaints that John Hancock Mutual life insurance co. Was taking too Long to do the Job. John Hancock holds the contract to provide claims processing under the army a self insured health plan for Naf workers overseas. A major problem was that John Hancock often failed to process medical Bills written in a foreign language unless the patient provided an English language translation. A those claims were simply pigeonholed a co dwells said. The Redelheim office now translates medical Bills and related documents into English free of charge. As a result co dwells said her office is paying Many medical claims faster but she said there is room for improvement. Co dwells said surgery cases which often require Complex translations from German or other languages Are among those payments still taking too Long to reach patients. Routine medical claims including most visits to the doctors office and reimbursement for prescriptions Are taking about 15 Days to process she said. The Naf benefits Branch instituted new procedures and acquired a personal computer earlier this year to allow civilian workers health insurance claims to be checked for accuracy and paid directly from co dwells office in Redelheim. The office pays Only 1990 claims. Older claims continue to be paid by John Hancock a office in Westchester a. Before the new program started All medical Bills had to be sent to the United states for processing and payment and that could take months. In one Case it took 16 months for a payment to reach the proper recipient in West Germany said Eric Penningroth who works As a translator and benefits examiner in Redelheim. Surgeries Are among the most difficult medical claims to process co dwells said because West German and american hospitals have different methods of charging for their service. The West germans itemize every expense while american hospitals often done to she said. A an appendectomy in America has a certain charge that includes pre of expenses the operation and pos top care. Here in Germany everything is itemized from consultations with other doctors Down to every band Aid. Its not easy to marry those two systems co dwells said. Penningroth said his Job is complicated further by the variety of foreign language medical Bills that he has to translate. In the last few months he has seen dutch French italian greek belgian West German and yugoslavian Bills. Some of the claims occurred while Naf employees were on vacation. So far Penningroth said he and co workers have handled All the translations in House except for the yugoslavian Bill which was translated by the patient. Americans overseas air problems in Paris by Randy Mcclain financial writer organizers of a Paris conference aimed at offering solutions to the problems of americans living overseas labelled the two Day event a Success at its conclusion Friday. A the eyes and ears of Congress have been opened Quot said Shari Leslie Segal Public relations director of the american Hospital in Paris where the event was staged and one of the organizers of the conference. The event was attended by nearly a dozen members of Congress and so Gall said the legislators heard a wide Range of complaints some of which were very emotional. Segal said one Touchy area involves the denial of citizenship to the new born children of some americans living abroad who have married a foreign National. If the american Parent Hasni to lived in the United states for a specified length of time after their 14th birthday. The child might not qualify for citizenship. Americans overseas would like to see citizenship granted without residency requirements Segall said. Another ticklish problem is the denial of medicare benefits to elderly americans overseas who receive treatment at foreign hospitals not certified by the . Government a situation that can have a severe economic Impact on retirees Segall said. The conference in the 200-seat Hospital auditorium was attended by americans from across Europe. A few delegates came from As far away As Brazil and the Philippines Segall said. The event was sponsored by a variety of overseas organizations including the association of american resident overseas the european Council of american Chambers of Commerce american citizens abroad democrats abroad republicans abroad and the federation of american women a clubs overseas. Segall said she Hopes several Concrete changes in Law occur because of the problems congressmen heard aired. Pocketbook issues such As double taxation in some foreign lands headed the list of concerns for Many americans she said. A we done to expect to Wake up tomorrow morning and there la be All sorts of changes in legislation but the congressmen who showed up for our event have really been involved. We really captured their attention a Segal said. A they just did no to come Here to see  the 12-person congressional delegation was led by rep. Mervin m. Dymally d-calif., the chairman of the House subcommittee on International operations. Last november that subcommittee held a hearing on the concerns of the 3 million americans living overseas and the two Day conference in Paris grew out of that session. Other congressional leaders in attendance were rep. Bill Alexanderd Ark. Rep. George w. Crockett jr., a Mich. Rep. Paul Gillmor a Ohio rep. Donald Lukens a Ohio rep. Donald Payne . Rep Lawrence j. Smith get Fla. Rep. Gerald . Solomon . Rep Barbara Vucanovich a Nev. Rep. Ted Weiss . Jaime b. Fuster a Democrat who represents puerto Rico in the House and Ben Glaz a Republican Delegate from Guam. And stripes bookstores stars and stripes bookstores it it <0 stars a $10 super Saver Africa a continent revealed h a stars and stripes super Saver discount for july. 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