Planned Parenthood affiliates among groups tapped to receive federal health law grants

News outlets also highlight various other organizations that received funding to be 'navigators.'

Reuters: Planned Parenthood To Get Obamacare Funds For Enrollment Push
Across the country, 105 groups were awarded a total of $67 million in so-called navigator grants, ranging from the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida and AIDS Alabama, Inc. to the Greater Phoenix Urban League and the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County. The inclusion of Planned Parenthood groups in three U.S. states, which provide women's health services including contraception and abortion, drew new criticism from Republicans and others. The healthcare law has attracted major opposition and legal challenges from religious and conservative groups for requiring insurers to cover the cost of birth control (8/15).

The Hill: Planned Parenthood To Get ObamaCare 'Navigator' Funds
Three state-based Planned Parenthood affiliates will receive a total of about $655,000 from the federal government to help consumers navigate their insurance options under ObamaCare. ... The Planned Parenthood affiliates that received grants were: Iowa-based Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Montana-based Intermountain Planned Parenthood and New Hampshire-based Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.  The three organizations received between $145,000 and $296,000 each. All organizations that received grants Thursday will operate in states where the federal government has a role in running the new insurance marketplaces (Viebeck, 8/15).

Georgia Health News: 2 Groups Get Grants For Ga. Exchange 'Navigators'
A nonprofit that helps low-income households and a unit of the University of Georgia have been named recipients of federal grants to provide "navigators"' to help consumers sign up for the upcoming health insurance exchange in the state. SEEDCO (Structured Employment Economic Development Corporation) will receive $2.2 million, and the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences and Cooperative Extension Service will get $1.7 million (Miller 8/15).

Detroit Free Press: Feds Award $2.5 Million To Help Public With Exchange
[W]hile many consumers will be able to find policies easily on the exchange, others might face obstacles -; a language barrier, a physical or visual disability, a lack of computer skills, or a lack of understanding of insurance basics -; said Don Hazaert, director of Michigan Consumers for Healthcare. Consumers for Healthcare, one of the major advocates of the Affordable Care Act in Michigan, will receive more than $1.3 million, the largest sum of money in Michigan from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (Erb, 8/15).