The legislature finds that the goals of containing health care costs, improving the quality of health care, and increasing the access of Minnesota citizens to health care services reflected under chapters 62J and 62N may be further enhanced through the promotion of health care cooperatives. The legislature further finds that locally based and controlled efforts among health care providers, local businesses, units of local government, and health care consumers, can promote the attainment of the legislature’s goals of health care reform, and takes notice of the long history of successful operations of cooperative organizations in this state. Therefore, in order to encourage cooperative efforts which are consistent with the goals of health care reform, including efforts among health care providers as sellers of health care services and efforts of consumers as buyers of health care services and health plan coverage, and to encourage the formation of and increase the competition among health plans in Minnesota, the legislature enacts the Minnesota Health Care Cooperative Act.