There is established within the department of health the state health insurance program whose goals shall be to:
(1) Subsidize health care coverage for gap group individuals, including but not necessarily limited to outpatient primary and preventive care;
(2) Encourage the uninsured who can afford to participate in existing health plans to seek that coverage;
(3) Discourage individuals who are already adequately insured from seeking benefits under the state health insurance program;
(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) 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.