SAN FRANCISCO -- House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday that she expects the U.S. Supreme Court next month to uphold President Barack Obama's signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act.

"We believe that this bill constitutionally is ironclad," she told a crowd of about 550 at a Commonwealth Club event at the Fairmont Hotel. "I expect a 6-3 'aye' verdict from the Supreme Court."

Pelosi, whose discussion with the club was meant to commemorate her 25th anniversary in Congress, said the law is among her proudest legislative accomplishments. More than 80 million Americans -- young people allowed to remain on their parents' policies, children with pre-existing conditions, people availing themselves of preventive care -- already have benefited from its provisions, she said.

She said she finds it ironic that some Republican lawmakers just a few years ago were engaging in "court-stripping," writing sections into bills in an attempt to make them impervious to courts. But once the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, she said, "all of a sudden we have these newfound advocates for judicial review."

Pelosi called Obama's newfound support of same-sex marriage "all great ... so beautifully spoken, so heartfelt, so personal."

"He made a values judgment," she said, noting that it would've been a more overtly political move to remain silent.

Pelosi, a San Francisco resident, is the first woman to have served as Speaker

Asked about the deep partisan divides that have stymied significant progress on many issues, Pelosi replied, "It doesn't have to be this way, and it hasn't always been." Under President George H.W. Bush and even under President George W. Bush, she said, Democrats and Republicans still were able to find some common ground on certain key issues.

Pelosi said today's Republicans aren't obstructionists purely because of political gamesmanship. They simply don't believe in a public role in job creation, social services and so forth, she added.

"Bless their hearts, they do what they believe, and they don't believe in government," she said.

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Pelosi predicts court will uphold health care reform