With less than seven weeks before the crucial online health insurance marketplaces are set to open under the Affordable Care Act, the Department of Health and Human Services Aug. 15 announced $67 million in grant awards to 105 organizations that will serve as "navigators" to help people shop for coverage and get enrolled under the Affordable Care Act.

The grants will be used in the 34 states where HHS will be the primary operator of the marketplaces for individual policies, which open Oct. 1.  As it has done in the past, HHS reallocated $13 million from the Prevention and Public Health Fund for the outreach effort.  That drew immediate fire from congressional Republicans, who accused the agency of using funds intended to enhance health care quality as a "slush fund."  HHS official Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said the marketplaces will ensure that people have coverage and preventive services.

The largest navigator grant recipient is United Way of Metropolitan Tarrant County in Texas with $5.9 million. HHS also said that more than 100 organizations, including the American Medical Association and the NAACP, have signed on to its Champions for Coverage initiative to promote ACA by efforts such as posting information on their websites, providing fact sheets, and hosting conference calls and webinars.