Opinion ID: 2554470
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts, legislative background and procedural history

Text: The plaintiff and all class members are legal aliens who claim to be in need of publicly funded, nonemergency medical assistance (medical assistance) [7] because they are indigent but are ineligible for such assistance through the federal Medicaid program, which bars aliens who have resided in the United States for fewer than five years from participating. Prior to December 1, 2009, the state provided medical assistance to these individuals through the state medical assistance for noncitizens program (SMANC). [8] See Public Acts, Spec. Sess., June, 1997, No. 97-2, § 146 (Spec.Sess.P.A.97-2), codified as amended at General Statutes (Rev. to 2009) § 17b-257b. In response to budgetary concerns, however, the legislature, in 2009, passed Spec. Sess. P.A. 09-5, which substantially repealed SMANC and altered the statutory eligibility requirements for the state administered general assistance medical program (SAGA-medical), effectively eliminating all state funded medical assistance for the class members as of December 1, 2009. [9] The plaintiff claims that this action by the state discriminates against her and the class members on the basis of their status as aliens, in violation of the federal and state constitutions. The issues presented in this appeal require an examination of a number of state and federal medical assistance programs and a number of state and federal statutory provisions affecting those programs. For this reason, we first set forth an overview of the statutory programs and relevant legislation at issue before turning to the trial court proceedings and our analysis of the specific claims of the parties.