PDC Journal
Articles, Editorials, and Musings from PDC Activists
Meet Ed Bixenstine
To My Progressive Colleagues and Friends: A Proposal
By Ed Bixenstine
June 1, 2005
Appeal to Republicans
By Ed Bixenstine
June, 2006
I offer some propositions which I view as largely self-evident. (READ)
LAWYER FLIM FLAM, Letter to the Editor - October 2005, by Ed Bixenstine
Outing Plame
Letter to the Editor
October 2005
Was This the Right War: Mother of All Boondoggles
Letter to the Editor
February 2006
Commend With Reservations (Read)
Letter to the Editor
March 2005
Reason, Politics, Religion & Faith (Read)
Post 2004 Election: An open letter to family & friends
Katrina (Read)
Letter to the Editor, September 2006
My Traveling Son (Read)
September 11, 2004
MoveOn: Commentary to Friends and Family (Read)
February 2006
Truth Serum - Letter to the Editor (Read)
August 2005
Multiple World Champion gets lots of Publicity
V. Edwin Bixenstine has received much well deserved media attention for his age-defying accomplishments. His story has been in Newspapers, Magazines, Radio and Television. From his highly acclaimed books and poetry to his Handball and World Championships, it is quite a story indeed. Here is a sampling of some of that publicity. Vist Ed's web-site HERE
Three Time World Duathlon Champion Kicks Off Olympics Week at Laurel Lake Retirement Community
Record Courier
Letter to the Editor
By Ed Bixenstine
Some have said we can't afford, in this time of gigantic deficit and the need to jump-start the economy, to address the hugely expensive health problem. I don't agree. I believe that fixing our broken health system and addressing our staggering economy go hand in glove.
Why is this? For the simple reason that our current insurance-based health system costs us an estimated $400 billion more yearly than it need to, yet results in national health indexes below that of all the other modern industrial states with which we may reasonably compare! Yes, we spend more per capita and we get less in health benefits than is the case in Canada, England, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and...almost any other country you might name.
Yet, we already have a system in place that works wonderfully well, efficiently and cost-effective, but it is restricted to those 65 and older--it's called Medicare. Medicare is a government run program which manages to pass through 97% of moneys collected for and assigned to it directly to providers of care for all those 65 and older. This compares to the sad figure of inefficiency and waste which we see in the moneys collected by private insurance where only about 70% manages to filter through to pay for our care, the rest is eaten up by duplication, health industry profit, advertising expenses, etc.
A recent suggestion I pass along: Why don't we simply expand on Medicare as our health system not just for 65+ but for all ages! Most doctors now want such a system because they know that so much of their expenses are directed to maintaining multiple insurance accounts and staggering amount of paperwork. It would also have an immediately salutary impact on industry and employers who struggle to maintain traditional employer-based health care programs. And, of course, employees everywhere would be free to move where jobs are more plentiful and promising rather than remain stuck in a current job just to maintain those precious health benefits.
We already have the wheel. We don't need to reinvent it!
Edwin Bixenstine
Kent, Ohio 444240