I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2728 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to expand health care access and 
choice of coverage through Individual Membership Associations (IMAs). 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 26, 2005 
Mr. SHADEGG introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to expand health 
care access and choice of coverage through Individual 
Membership Associations (IMAs). 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Health Care Access 
and Availability Act of 2005’’. 
SEC. 2. CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY. 
The constitutional authority upon which this Act 
rests is the power of Congress to regulate commerce with 
foreign nations and among the several States, set forth 
in article I, section 8 of the United States Constitution.
SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF ACCESS AND CHOICE THROUGH IN-
DIVIDUAL 
MEMBERSHIP 
ASSOCIATIONS 
(IMAS). 
The Public Health Service Act is amended by adding 
at the end the following new title: 
‘‘TITLE XXIX—INDIVIDUAL 
MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATIONS 
‘‘SEC. 2901. DEFINITION OF INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP AS-
SOCIATION (IMA). 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of this title, the 
terms ‘individual membership association’ and ‘IMA’ 
mean a legal entity that meets the following requirements: 
‘‘(1) ORGANIZATION.—The IMA is an organiza-
tion operated under the direction of an association 
(as defined in section 2904(1)). 
‘‘(2) 
OFFERING
HEALTH
BENEFITS
COV-
ERAGE.— 
‘‘(A) DIFFERENT GROUPS.—The IMA, in 
conjunction with those health insurance issuers 
that offer health benefits coverage through the 
IMA, makes available health benefits coverage 
in the manner described in subsection (b) to all 
members of the IMA and the dependents of 
such members in the manner described in sub-
section (c)(2) at rates that are established by 
the health insurance issuer on a policy or prod-
uct specific basis and that may vary only as 
permissible under State law. 
‘‘(B) NONDISCRIMINATION
IN
COVERAGE 
OFFERED.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clause 
(ii), the IMA may not offer health benefits 
coverage to a member of an IMA unless 
the same coverage is offered to all such 
members of the IMA. 
‘‘(ii) 
CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing 
in 
this title shall be construed as requiring or 
permitting a health insurance issuer to 
provide coverage outside the service area of 
the issuer, as approved under State law, or 
requiring a health insurance issuer from 
excluding or limiting the coverage on any 
individual, subject to the requirement of 
section 2741. 
‘‘(C) NO FINANCIAL UNDERWRITING.—The 
IMA provides health benefits coverage only 
through contracts with health insurance issuers 
and does not assume insurance risk with re-
spect to such coverage. 
‘‘(3) GEOGRAPHIC AREAS.—Nothing in this title 
shall be construed as preventing the establishment
and operation of more than one IMA in a geographic 
area or as limiting the number of IMAs that may 
operate in any area. 
‘‘(4) PROVISION OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 
TO PURCHASERS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The IMA may provide 
administrative services for members. Such serv-
ices may include accounting, billing, and enroll-
ment information. 
‘‘(B) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 
subsection shall be construed as preventing an 
IMA from serving as an administrative service 
organization to any entity. 
‘‘(5) FILING
INFORMATION.—The IMA files 
with the Secretary information that demonstrates 
the IMA’s compliance with the applicable require-
ments of this title. 
‘‘(b) HEALTH
BENEFITS
COVERAGE
REQUIRE-
MENTS.— 
‘‘(1) COMPLIANCE
WITH
CONSUMER
PROTEC-
TION REQUIREMENTS.—Any health benefits coverage 
offered through an IMA shall— 
‘‘(A) be underwritten by a health insurance 
issuer that—
‘‘(i) is licensed (or otherwise regu-
lated) under State law, 
‘‘(ii) meets all applicable State stand-
ards relating to consumer protection, sub-
ject to section 2902, and 
‘‘(B) subject to paragraph (2), be approved 
or otherwise permitted to be offered under 
State law. 
‘‘(2) EXAMPLES OF TYPES OF COVERAGE.—The 
benefits coverage made available through an IMA 
may include, but is not limited to, any of the fol-
lowing if it meets the other applicable requirements 
of this title: 
‘‘(A) Coverage through a health mainte-
nance organization. 
‘‘(B) Coverage in connection with a pre-
ferred provider organization. 
‘‘(C) Coverage in connection with a li-
censed provider-sponsored organization. 
‘‘(D) Indemnity coverage through an insur-
ance company. 
‘‘(E) Coverage offered in connection with a 
contribution into a medical savings account or 
flexible spending account.
‘‘(F) Coverage that includes a point-of- 
service option. 
‘‘(G) Any combination of such types of 
coverage. 
‘‘(3) WELLNESS BONUSES FOR HEALTH PRO-
MOTION.—Nothing in this title shall be construed as 
precluding a health insurance issuer offering health 
benefits coverage through an IMA from establishing 
premium discounts or rebates for members or from 
modifying 
otherwise 
applicable 
copayments 
or 
deductibles in return for adherence to programs of 
health promotion and disease prevention so long as 
such programs are agreed to in advance by the IMA 
and comply with all other provisions of this title and 
do not discriminate among similarly situated mem-
bers. 
‘‘(c) MEMBERS; HEALTH INSURANCE ISSUERS.— 
‘‘(1) MEMBERS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Under rules estab-
lished to carry out this title, with respect to an 
individual who is a member of an IMA, the in-
dividual may enroll for health benefits coverage 
(including coverage for dependents of such indi-
vidual) offered by a health insurance issuer 
through the IMA.