European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 10, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                New Dod plan for dental care to in by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington an expanded dental insurance plan for military family members in the United states that will More closely Mirror commercially available plans takes effect april 1, defense department officials said monday. The upgraded dependents dental plan authorized by Congress in the fiscal 1993 defense authorization act will cover Many common dental procedures that have not been included in the original  for the new plan Are $9.65 per month for a single family member and $19.30 per month for two or More family members officials said. The plan allows family members to seek treatment from civilian dentists who Are then reimbursed by Delta dental plan a defense department contractor for that service. Along with benefits covered under current arrangements such As examinations a rays cleanings sealants and fillings the new plan will cover Root canals gum disease treatment braces and prosthetics such As crowns Bridges and dentures. There is a lifetime coverage limit of $1,200 for braces and related orthodontics work and maximum annual coverage of $1,000 per family member for All other services. Active duty members stationed in the Continental United states the Virgin islands Guam and puerto Rico who have at least 24 months remaining on their service obligations will be enrolled automatically officials said. Service members who plan to extend their service obligations so that they will have at least 24 months remaining can enrol at personnel centers by completing do form 2492, a dependent dental plan enrolment election uniformed services Active  family members residing overseas Are not covered by the plan but sponsors who Are anticipating reassignment to the United states can prepare to enrol their families by completing a do form 2492 at their local personnel office. Defense department officials plan to allow those automatically enrolled who Don to want to use the plan to withdraw from it anytime Between april 1 and july 31. Service members May opt out of the plan during that period and receive a full refund of any premiums already paid As Long As the program As not been used. Naf employees opting for German insurance by Kevin Robinson business writer Loney Reeves said a a not to the army a health insurance plan for no appropriated fund employees after listening to the horror stories of fellow workers who endured countless delays waiting to be reimbursed for medical expenses from the John Hancock Mutual life insurance co. Instead Reeves an Naf employee at Mannheim Germany opted for German insurance coverage. A i always thought it made better sense to pay insurance premiums to a German insurance company a Reeves said. A a it a cheaper in the Long run the rates Are better and there Are no time delays or language  Reeves Isnit alone. As More army no appropriated fund employees in Europe Are forced to seek foreign doctors and hospitals for their medical needs these employees Are considering the advantages of foreign health insurance coverage As opposed to the Naf plan said Rudi Borman an insurance agent from Kaiserslautern Germany. A German doctors feel much better about their pros Keats of being paid promptly when they know German health insurance stands behind the patient Quot said Borman who has sold German insurance to a number of americans in Germany since 1988. A sometimes it takes americans up to six months to reimburse hospitals or doctors a Borman said. A no one wants to wait that Long. German insurance companies reimburse medical Bills directly to the Hospital and if its outpatient expenses the customer will be reimbursed within two  the timeliness of medical and dental insurance claims has become a big Issue of late for some of the 1,222 Naf employees in Germany and Italy who Are covered by John Hancock. There arc complaints about lost claims mismanagement translation problems and delays of 30 Days or More in receiving reimbursements for health claims sent to John Hancock. Some of the employees said the delays mean they have to pay medical expenses out of pocket or risk compounded problems with German doctors and hospitals who demand prompt payment. These delays were recently addressed by in arcs r. Sandlin director of the army a Naf benefits office in Alexandria a. A i understand that people get frustrated when their claims Aren t paid quickly a Sandlin said. A a in be checked around there is no other plan like ours that provides translation services and toll free Telephone numbers. 1 can to satisfy  the toll free Telephone lines to John Hancock recently were created for Naf customers in Germany and Italy to replace the european Naf benefits office in Schwet Zingen Germany which the army closed feb. 24. In addition the staff of claims approves at John Hancock has been doubled effective Jan. 25. As a result of these measures Sandlin said claims from Europe would receive top priority from John Hancock and that More attention will be paid to what is a a lome times it takes americans up to six months to reimburse hospitals or doctors. No one wants to wait that Long a Rudl Borman insurance agent causing delayed payments. However some Naf employees such As John Duran of Mannheim said they have heard this Promise before and will not buy into it any longer. Duren now pays 358 Marks about $225 each month for German medical insurance. He used to pay $150 per month for insurance through John Hancock he said but after waiting More than a year and a half to be reimbursed for a medical claim he dropped the Naf plan after 16 years. A there Are so Many different options with German insurance a Duran said. A you can claim the Cost of eyeglasses and contacts. You can to do that with John Hancock. And at the end of the year you get a months payment Back. Even when the Mark rate drops the difference is still Worth  before 1988, More americans took advantage of German insurance because the Dollar to Mark rate was so Good Borman said. German insurance still remains very popular with military retirees especially in the Frankfurt area he added. A a it a a shame that you have retired americans Here Over age 65 and they May not have health insurance anymore a Borman said. A at this age group health insurance is More important than at any other time of your  through John Hancock the Naf plan has extended medical insurance for up to three years after a person leaves his or her Job or experiences a reduction in work hours according to the Naf benefits Booklet. Under the German plan coverage can continue for life Borman said. Even if a person is late paying the Premium for three months a company wont cancel the policy he added. In Italy Only two or three Naf employees Are covered under italian health insurance said Tony Rinzo chief of the Naf Branch in Vicenza. These employees normally arc americans who arc hired by Naf White visiting from the states he said. A they usually have no connection with the  italian insurance plans fluctuate with a persons salary Rinzo added the average being 700,000 lire per year or $40 to $45 a month. Of the 8,554 army Naf employees in Europe As of december 1992, there arc 215 Naf employees in Vicenza the majority arc military family members who arc covered by their spouses military medical care Rinzo said. This leaves 35 or 40 who participate in he Naf insurance plan. Publishers might Aid postal problems by Crystal Laureano staff writer military postal customers who still have not received Back issues of magazines they subscribe to should Contact each magazines publisher for assistance according to an official from a stateside mailing company. Subscribers should write to the customer service Post office Box listed on the Masthead of the Magazine said Jane Wilcox of the postal affairs department of Deodata services inc. Of Boulder Colo. Deodata prints mailing labels for 83 million subscribers of 370 publications. Company officials discovered last fall that a computer glitch had corrupted their address files resulting in thousands of mis addressed and undeliverable magazines flooding military Post offices overseas. In late january military postal customers were asked to fill out an address form if they subscribed to any of a list of magazines for which Deodata prints mailing labels. The company relied on customer information to identify incorrect addresses and has set up a special Post office Box for military change of address information. It is Deodata military change of address information . Box 55372, Boulder Colo. 80322-5372. Customers who do not receive All issues of a paid subscription Are entitled to some Type of reconciliation Wilcox said. Some publishers will provide specific Back issues or extend subscriptions by the number of missed issues whichever customers prefer she said. A other publishers will Only extend subscriptions. Subscribers should also when possible inform publishers of any errors in their address to prevent mis routed or undeliverable magazines said Yvonne Radloff with the 7025th air postal so at Ramstein a Germany. The Squadron is the Headquarters for air Force postal operations in Europe. If the address is incorrect on the Magazine Label it usually also will be incorrect on invoices and renewal notices she said. The . Postal service military postal service Agency and army Navy and air Force postal officials in Europe have done All they can to solve the problem of undeliverable magazines Radloff said. A a it a not a military transportation Issue its not a military Post office problem a no one is stealing anyone a magazines a she said. A the magazines arc not getting to people because of a corrupted mailing  what last fall was tons of undeliverable magazines has now subsided but one location still has a daily Battle with mail for addressees that can to be found. Apparently when be Odatal a computer system finds an address irregularity it defaults to the lowest overseas zip code a 09002, Radloff said. That number is the old zip code for mount Kimbara Sardinia a Remote location where Only nine people Are assigned Radloff said. Just Over a week ago 250 bags of mail destined for mount Kimbara were diverted to san Vito Italy where postal workers searched through the bags for mail that might be deliverable she  per diem rate set for Washington by Mike Causey the Washington Post Washington what would you do if somebody dropped you in the Middle of Washington d.c., without food drink or a place to stay Well if you Are an out of town Federal worker in that situation whatever you do better not Cost More than $148 per Day. The new expense account rate is effective Friday. Currently the maximum is $144 while on official business in Washington and nearby suburbs. The new rate gives travellers up to $110 for bed and $38 for Board. The Washington arca per diem rate is higher than it is for los Angeles and san Francisco where a along with new York City a government workers get an 8 percent salary differential partly because of higher living costs