The following definitions shall apply for purposes of this article:

(a) “County” means the County of Los Angeles.

(b) “Board of supervisors” means the Board of Supervisors of the County of Los Angeles.

(c) “Commission” means the separate public agency established by the board of supervisors to operate a local initiative for health care in the county.

(d) “Local initiative” means the health plan or plans and other health care programs owned or operated by the commission established under this article, and operated pursuant to the strategic plan.

(e) “Medi-Cal managed care programs” means all those components of the Medi-Cal program that involve the restriction of access for Medi-Cal patients to particular providers or health plans and that involve managed care principles, including, but not limited to, programs such as those described in Article 2.7 (commencing with Section 14087.3), Article 2.8 (commencing with Section 14087.5), Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 14200), including pilot programs under Article 7 (commencing with Section 14490) thereof.

(f) “Health care consumer” means a Medi-Cal beneficiary or any other person eligible to receive health care services under the local initiative, including parents, legal guardians, or conservators of Medi-Cal beneficiaries and people who will receive health care services under the local initiative.

(g) “Health care consumer advocate” means an individual who, whether in a paid or unpaid capacity, represents the interests of Medi-Cal beneficiaries or people who will receive health care under the local initiative.

(h) “Strategic plan” means the report issued on March 31, 1993, by the State Department of Health Services, entitled “The State Department of Health Services’ Plan for Expanding Medi-Cal Managed Care: Protecting Vulnerable Populations” or the report, as subsequently revised or amended.

(Amended by Stats. 2004, Ch. 454, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2005.)