§ 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.