This is the Opening Plenary of the 2014 American Society of Health Economists conference (ASHEcon), hosted by the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics at USC. The Opening Plenary included opening remarks by Tony Lo Sasso, Executive Director of ASHEcon, and Frank Sloan, President of ASHEcon. Neeraj Sood, Director of Research, Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, presented results from a survey of the membership, which consists of American health economists. Questions included how to reduce rising Medicare spending, predicted annual growth for health care costs and whether increasing health insurance coverage will improve longevity of the newly insured. The Plenary featured a debate on the Affordable Care Act moderated by Sarah Kliff, Senior Editor at Vox.com, with renowned economists Peter Orszag and Casey Mulligan engaging in a lively discussion on provisions of the Affordable Care Act and the future of its implementation.