Health Care Access and Availability Act of 2005

The Health Care Access and Availability Act of 2005 (H.R. 2728) was designed to allow individuals to purchase health insurance through "Individual Membership Associations" (IMAs). These associations would be established organizations, such as professional or alumni groups, that could negotiate and offer health benefit plans to all their members regardless of their health status.

For citizens, this bill aimed to provide more options for obtaining private health insurance outside of traditional employer-sponsored plans. By allowing individuals to pool together through these associations, the bill sought to give people not covered by an employer the ability to access group-style health coverage and administrative support. While the associations would manage enrollment and billing, the actual insurance would still be provided by state-licensed insurance companies.