On May 11, 2011, CMS announced initiatives designed to help states coordinate care for individuals eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid (“dual eligibles”).  In launching the initiatives, CMS notes that a lack of alignment between the two programs “can lead to fragmented or episodic care for people with both Medicare and Medicaid coverage, which can reduce quality and raise costs.” CMS, through the Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office, is publishing a notice May 16, 2011 seeking public input on how to align program policies in six areas: care coordination, fee-for-service benefits, prescription drugs, cost sharing, enrollment, and appeals.  The notice includes a table identifying specific opportunities for alignment in each of these broad categories. Comments will be accepted until July 11, 2011. Once CMS reviews public comments, the agency will continue to engage stakeholders to determine the barriers and sources of the current misalignments, and assess which issues to address and in what order and timeframe. CMS also announced a streamlined process to provide faster state access to Medicare data to support care coordination for dual eligibles.