WASHINGTON — Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, applauded retail pharmacies and other health care stakeholders for stepping forward to help Americans prepare for new health benefits being offered under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius discusses the Health Insurance Marketplace at a Rite Aid store in Hoboken, N.J.

In a blog posting Monday on the HHS.gov/healthcare website, Sebelius said pharmacies are doing their part to help consumers better understand their options with the coming of the new Health Insurance Marketplace, through which many uninsured Americans will now be able to buy health plans via state exchanges.

Open enrollment for the marketplace begins Oct. 1 and runs through to March 31. Coverage for those signing up before the year’s end starts Jan. 1.

"Pharmacies across America are stepping up to help you understand and get ready for the Health Insurance Marketplace. And I want to say thank you. Families throughout our country look to their pharmacy as a place they can go to for honest, straightforward advice they can trust," Sebelius wrote in her Sept. 9 blog entry.

"Companies such as Thrifty White Pharmacy, Bi-Lo Pharmacy, Winn-Dixie Pharmacy, SoloHealth, StayHealthy and CVS are willing to help out because they know that quality, affordable health coverage is important," she said.

Sebelius cited her visit on Monday to a Rite Aid store in Hoboken, N.J., as an example of how pharmacies are assisting consumers in navigating the new health care landscape. The drug chain announced new resources to help guide consumers as they evaluate new health coverage options.

"Since Americans trust their pharmacists for tell-it-like-it-is advice about their health, America’s pharmacies have a special role in these efforts," Sebelius wrote. "And it’s a role that Rite Aid and other pharmacies are embracing."