There is established within the department of health the state health insurance program whose goals shall be to:

1. (1) Subsidize health care coverage for gap group individuals, including but not necessarily limited to outpatient primary and preventive care;
2. (2) Encourage the uninsured who can afford to participate in existing health plans to seek that coverage;
3. (3) Discourage individuals who are already adequately insured from seeking benefits under the state health insurance program;
4. (4) Assure that those persons who have the ability to pay for all or part of their coverage be appropriately assessed by the contractors on a sliding fee scale basis; and

5. (5) Ensure that the state health insurance program is affordable to gap group individuals.

   The program shall be funded by legislative appropriations made to the department of health.

[L 1989, c 378, pt of §1]