This chapter is intended to provide authority for two or more public benefit hospital entities to participate in a joint self-insurance program covering property or liability risks. This chapter provides public benefit hospital entities with the exclusive source of authority to jointly self-insure property and liability risks, jointly purchase insurance or reinsurance, and to contract for risk management, claims, and administrative services with other public benefit hospital entities, except as otherwise provided in this chapter. This chapter must be liberally construed to grant public benefit hospital entities maximum flexibility in jointly self-insuring to the extent the self-insurance programs are operated in a safe and sound manner. This chapter is intended to require prior approval for the establishment of every joint self-insurance program. In addition, this chapter is intended to require every joint self-insurance program for public benefit hospital entities established under this chapter to notify the state of the existence of the program and to comply with the regulatory and statutory standards governing the management and operation of the programs as provided in this chapter. This chapter is not intended to authorize or regulate self-insurance of unemployment compensation under chapter 50.44 RCW or industrial insurance under chapter 51.14 RCW.