Physicians, health care executives and students filled historic Wallenberg Hall at Augustana College in Rock Island on Thursdayto hear Cokie Roberts take a no-holds-barred approach to the politics of health care.

Roberts, 70, is a contributing senior news analyst for National Public Radio, of which WVIK-FM at Augustana is an affiliate. She also is a roundtable analyst for the ABC-TV Sunday morning news show "This Week with George Stephanopoulos."

Despite fighting a cold, her address at "Current Events and Health Care" was nonetheless energetic, delivered in language the audience easily understood.

Roberts said the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, is huge, complex and not well-understood by most Americans.

An estimated 70 percent of Americans are not affected by Obamacare because they have health insurance in the first place. But that does not prevent many from "fearing what might come from it," she said.

Roberts was introduced to the crowd by Rick Seidler, the president and CEO of UnityPoint Health-Trinity.

Seidler pointed out that the health care system's counselors have signed up thousands of Illinois and Iowa residents for health insurance in the past few months.

Stories of people who have gained coverage, often for the first time, are "very heartening," he said.

Some of the other topics Roberts addressed were:

Roberts spoke Thursday night at a sold-out fundraising dinner for WVIK at the Hotel Blackhawk in Davenport and will make an appearance from 10 to 11:30 a.m. today at Christ the King Chapel on the campus of St. Ambrose University in Davenport at an event celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Congregation of the Humility of Mary.

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Cokie Roberts takes on health topics with gusto