By Angie Stewart

At a White House event to mark the three-month anniversary of the passage of the landmark health care reform law, President Obama asserted his conviction of the necessity of the new law.

The speech followed his meeting with insurance company executives and state insurance commissioners about troubling insurance company practices. The insurance group joined the larger audience, primarily made up of health care advocacy group representatives, just before the President entered the East Room to speak on behalf of the new health care reform law and its consumer protections. Citing examples of people with catastrophic illnesses being terminated from insurance coverage, and others who have recently experienced exorbitant insurance rate hikes, President Obama said, “Starting in September, some of the worst abuses will be banned forever.”

He spotlighted the sections of the law pertaining to the elimination of lifetime limits on coverage; the barring of insurance company practices that deny coverage for children with pre-existing conditions, or discontinuing coverage because of mistakes on an insurance application.

As we’ve noted many times, good health is also about access to care as well as coverage, and the new health reform law makes that possible through the expansion of Community Health Centers. NACHC’s Executive Vice President of Communications Claudia Gibson was present at the White House event.   “Our Community Health Centers are centered around the principle of health care access for all,” she said.  “The new consumer protections contained in the law will increase access, particularly for the most vulnerable people.”

Check out our video clip from the event!