The legislature finds that the state of Washington has substantial public interest in the following:

(1) The price and cost of prescription drugs. Washington state is a major purchaser through the department of corrections, the health care authority, and other entities acting on behalf of a state purchaser;

(2) Enacting this chapter to provide notice and disclosure of information relating to the cost and pricing of prescription drugs in order to provide accountability to the state for prescription drug pricing;

(3) Rising drug costs and consumer ability to access prescription drugs; and

(4) Containing prescription drug costs. It is essential to understand the drivers and impacts of these costs, as transparency is typically the first step toward cost containment and greater consumer access to needed prescription drugs.