35-24-101. State health care policy; legislative findings and declarations.

(a) It is the policy of the state to promote:

(i) The quality of health care provided to the citizens of Wyoming;

(ii) Access to appropriate health care for all citizens of the state, including citizens in historically underserved populations and underserved geographic areas;

(iii) Containment of health care costs; and

(iv) A comprehensive health care system in the state.

(b) The legislature finds that the policies specified under subsection (a) of this section will be significantly enhanced by cooperative arrangements including joint ventures and similar enterprises, and contracts among health care providers and purchasers, and certain collaborative agreements between third party payors and health care providers, that might otherwise be prohibited by federal and state antitrust laws if undertaken without governmental involvement. The legislature declares that the formation and operation of cooperative arrangements be the subject of government regulation by the state and that state regulation be substituted for the marketplace and market competition. The legislature intends by provisions of this chapter, that approval of cooperative arrangements among health care providers, purchasers and third party payors be accompanied by appropriate conditions and ongoing supervision and regulation of the operations of the cooperative arrangements, in order to protect against any abuses and to effectively except the actions of approved and regulated cooperative arrangements from state and federal antitrust liability.