An overhaul of health care policy will protect people with insurance from the "arbitrary" policies of the insurance industry while lowering their health care expenses, President Obama told an audience in Grand Junction, Colorado, Saturday.

Insurance companies no longer will be able to place caps on benefits or charge out-of-pocket expenses on top of premiums, Obama told the cheering crowd.

"No one is holding the insurance companies accountable for these practices. But we will. We're going to ban arbitrary caps on benefits. And we'll place limits on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses," he said.

The practice of canceling or denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions will also come to an end, he said.

"No one in America should go broke because they get sick."

Grand Junction is Obama's third and final stop in a series of town hall meetings in the West to promote health care reform, his top domestic priority.

While Obama has said consensus can be reached on health care reform, contentious town hall meetings held by lawmakers around the country have created a different impression.

Signs of rifts within Obama's party on the issue also persist, with Rep. John Murtha saying the House would not pass a health care bill until January or later.

The White House, and many Democrats in Congress, hope that by building support in the West, the president can start to turn the tide. The region is largely Republican, but Obama made some inroads in the latest election. He won in Colorado and lost by just a slim margin in Montana.

On Saturday, Obama spoke of the need for passionate debate on the issue, and assured the audience that productive discussion was taking place around the country in addition to the heated shouting matches shown on television.

"Health care touches all of our lives in a profound way. It's only natural that this debate is an emotional one. And I know there's been a lot of attention paid to some of the town hall meetings that are going on around the country -- especially those where tempers have flared," he said.

"But what you haven't seen are the many constructive meetings going on all over the country," he said. "I think that reflects the American people far more than what we've seen covered on television these past few days. And I thank you for coming here today in that spirit."