BOSTON — For Kathleen Sebelius, the Obama administration official who has become the focus of bipartisan anger over the bungled rollout of the online health insurance exchanges, a night out in Boston appeared to be a much-needed respite from scrutiny and criticism.
"What a great room to be in, for all kinds of reasons," Ms. Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, told an audience of about 400 people on Wednesday at the Kennedy Forum on Community Mental Health.
"I can tell you it's good for my mental health," she said, as the crowd laughed.
Ms. Sebelius has faced repeated calls to resign over the problems with the health care law's insurance exchanges, which could take months to fix. She did not address those issues in detail, although she did echo a point President Obama made earlier in the week.
"The new law is more than a Web site," she said. "It is an opportunity for millions of Americans to obtain mental health and physical health services."
The gala Wednesday night kicked off a conference on mental health that will be hosted Thursday by the Kennedy Forum, led by former Representative Patrick J. Kennedy of Rhode Island. The event is a celebration of the Community Mental Health Act, which Mr. Kennedy's uncle, President John F. Kennedy, signed 50 years ago.
In introducing Ms. Sebelius, Mr. Kennedy told the audience, "We must stand firmly with Secretary Sebelius so she can stand up for us."
In her own remarks, Ms. Sebelius highlighted the aspects of the law that she said would increase Americans' access to mental health care and expand coverage of preventive mental health services.
When Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. spoke, he jokingly acknowledged that the gathering was competing with the World Series opening game nearby between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals. "I'll give you a moment to get your earpieces out and tune in to the game," he said. "I am not at all offended."
Like Ms. Sebelius, Mr. Biden — who did not directly address the problem-plagued exchanges — focused on the Obama administration's efforts to promote mental health, including through the Affordable Care Act, which he said would allow more Americans to take advantage of mental health care.
"We made sure the Affordable Care Act includes mental health and substance abuse services as one of the 10 categories of essential benefits that must be covered by health plans in new health marketplaces," he said.
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