On Monday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that $60 million in Navigator grant awards will go to 90 organizations in states with Federally-facilitated and State Partnership Marketplaces. According to the HHS, these grants are meant to support enrollment and outreach activities in the second year of the Marketplace and build on lessons learned from last year.

The Big “I” has serious concerns about consumer protection issues raised by the Navigator programs and similar entities operating within exchanges, since the program is set up to empower individuals with no relevant health care background to “facilitate enrollment” in health plans. The association will continue to make the case to both federal and state officials that Navigator programs should be properly regulated and has met with success in a number of states that have rightfully put in place additional oversight of these entities.

More details about this announcement are available in the HHS press release, and the full list of the grant awardees is available in a special section of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website.

Wyatt Stewart is Big “I” director of federal government affairs.