Statistics from the National Institute of Health show that between 1990 and 2014, the cancer death rate in the United States fell by 25%. However, the costs of this progress have pulled the value equation in the opposite direction. In 2017, national expenditures for cancer care were $147.3 billion and an estimated 1,735,350 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2018.
Over the past year, the National Alliance listened to their stakeholders—employers and coalitions—and conducted a “deep dive” in early 2018 to identify current health plans’ strategies, support and activities related to cancer care delivery though a new eValue8 module—the “2018 Oncology Deep Dive.” These efforts brought together a multistakeholder advisory team made up of coalition leaders, employers, medical directors, health plans, and oncology experts, to develop an assessment that would address key areas outlined in this report.