688
Opinion of O'Connor, J.
pellate court reviewing a preliminary injunction is confined to the record before the District Court, and here, neither the record before the District Court nor the Maine Rx statute itself reveals a Medicaid purpose that will be served by the Maine Rx Program.
The plurality speculates about three "Medicaid-related interests that will be served if the [Maine Rx] program is successful." Ante, at 663. First, the plurality asserts that Maine Rx "will provide medical benefits to persons who can be described as 'medically needy' even if they do not qualify for [Aid to Families with Dependent Children] or [Supple-mental Security Income] benefits." Ibid. Second, the plurality contends that "there is the possibility that, by enabling some borderline aged and infirm persons better access to prescription drugs earlier, Medicaid expenses will be reduced." Ibid. Third, the plurality posits that "whenever it is necessary to impose the prior authorization requirement on a manufacturer that refuses to participate," Maine Rx will promote the use of cost-effective medications and thereby "[a]voi[d] unnecessary costs in the administration of [the] State's Medicaid program." Ante, at 663, 664. Asserting that these "Medicaid-related goals" are "plainly present in the Maine Rx Program," the plurality concludes that the District Court's failure sua sponte to recognize them constituted "an erroneous predicate" for the preliminary injunction. Ante, at 663.
I disagree. I would not say it was an abuse of discretion for the District Court to conclude petitioner met its burden in showing that there was no Medicaid-related goal or purpose served by Maine Rx. Cf. ante, at 662-665. Each of the plurality's post-hoc justifications for the Maine Rx Program's burden on Medicaid beneficiaries rests on factual predicates that are not supported in the record. Even assuming the predicate assumptions behind the plurality's first and second justifications—that some of the potential beneficiaries of Maine Rx can be classified as "medically needy" or
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