In response to the assertion in MondayâÄôs Letter to the Editor entitled âÄúA younger take on health insuranceâÄù asserted that âÄúRepublicans are saying and doing anything they can to see a national health care plan go down in flames.âÄù I would like to point out the following pending bills: The PatientâÄôs Choice Act of 2009, S1099 and HR2520, introduced by Senators Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in May, which proposes to institute tax credits and deductions to assist more people in buying health care insurance, among other provisions. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) introduced the Health Care Freedom Act of 2009, S1324, in June, which also proposes health care tax credits and deductions, the ability to buy health care insurance across state lines where it may be less expensive, and strengthens Health Savings Accounts among other measures. Finally, the Empowering Patients First Act, HR3400, was introduced in July by Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) and 38 co-sponsors. This bill contains tax code changes, provisions to allow small insurance purchasers to form pools and medical malpractice tort reform. In short, Republicans are not just blocking the DemocratsâÄô proposals, they are making proposals of their own. Andrew Jauhola University graduate student