In honor of Mother's Day, President Obama spoke today on the benefits of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for women.

Standing on the podium with about a dozen women flanking his sides, Obama reiterated his belief that the ACA — also known as "Obamacare" — will ultimately provide better care for women. He stated that under his plan, women will have access to free checkups, mammograms, and cancer screenings, and that insurance providers will no longer be able to consider pregnancy a pre-existing condition.

He then specifically called on mothers to help the cause, asking them to encourage young people (presumably their adult children) to enroll in insurance exchanges when those go online in October.

Effective October 1, 2013, individuals and small businesses will be able to go online and enroll in health benefit plans in a "competitive marketplace," according to HealthCare.gov. The actual plans offered in the Health Insurance Marketplace will begin on January 1, 2014.

With massive health care reform about to sweep the nation, government officials may be concerned that the general public is not sure what will happen to them next. In fact, just last week, a nonpartisan poll found that 42 percent of Americans are unaware that the ACA is actually law; Obama spoke for 30 minutes on specific next steps, including the marketplace open enrollment period. He also encouraged Americans to get educated by reading the actual documentation — reminding them that the insurance forms are only three pages now — and to be wary of political pundits and posturing.

"Don't just read a blog," he admonished.

Just two days after House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) used Twitter to express his outrage over the ACA, Obama tried to keep his tone free of politics.

"What all the people on this stage understand is that this is too important for political games," Obama said. "Moms and Dads don't usually think about politics when their kids are sick."

The women standing on the podium with Obama during the speech had written letters to the White House stating what the ACA meant to them. The group included Alycia S. from Towson, MD, who had previously been denied care for her daughter Avey. Avey has cancer, and they currently cannot get insurance because the illness is considered a pre-existing condition.

According to Alycia, the ACA isn't "Obamacare"; it's "AlyciaCare."

Obama also retold the story about a woman who was given a diagnosis of leukemia days before health care reform was passed. He recounted how she was on his mind as inspiration when he signed the ACA into law. The woman then came out on stage to tremendous applause.

Finally, the President ended the press conference by restating that his goal is to make sure Americans get the care they deserve — no matter how much money they make.

Below, Alycia talks about what the Affordable Care Act means to her.