Marquez

I. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

We begin with an overview of California’s Medi-Cal program for context, and then discuss the parties’ factual and legal contentions in this litigation.

3 A. California’s Medi-Cal Program Medi-Cal is California’s program under the joint federal-state program known as Medicaid. (Welf. & Inst. Code, § 14000 et seq.) Medicaid provides federal financial assistance to participating states to support the provision of health care services to certain categories of low-income individuals and families, including the aged, blind, and disabled, as well as pregnant women and others. (42 U.S.C. § 1396 et seq.) Because California has opted to participate in the Medicaid program and receive federal matching funds, it must comply with all federal Medicaid requirements. (Conlan v. Bontá (2002) 102 Cal.App.4th 745, 753 (Conlan).) Among other things, the state must administer its Medicaid program through a plan that has been approved by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). (See 42 U.S.C. § 1396a; 42 C.F.R. §§ 430.10, 430.15(b) (2014); Welf. & Inst. Code, § 14100.1.) By state statute, Medi-Cal is intended to provide, to the extent practicable,…