For years, employers (and health plans) have been reticent to manage cancer care. However, the need and opportunity for effectively addressing waste and low-value care to achieve a higher quality of patient care and support has never been greater. With the dramatic advances in the ability to treat cancer through the introduction of innovative diagnostics and medications, the cancer mortality rate has dropped by 25% since the early 1990s. At the same time, the costs of treatment have skyrocketed with the average costs of some common cancers now ranging from $100,000 to $300,000.

These advances in cancer care and attendant cost increases magnify an old dilemma for employers: How to provide benefits and coverage that enable access to high-quality cancer care and outcomes at a reasonable cost. To obtain the no-cost employer guide from the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, Achieving Value in Cancer Care, click here.