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With Concord Hospital’s new 3-D Breast Cancer Imaging as background and a new law co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte about insurance for mammograms as foreground, the complicated debate over how much cancer screening is proper came to town Tuesday morning. Ayotte’s legislation and visit to the Concord Imaging Center was prompted by a recommendation from the Preventive Service Task Force, an advisory arm of the federal Department of Health and Human Services. (Brooks, 1/6)

Jean Hanvik decided that enough was enough. When a painful intestinal inflammation flared in 2014, the 55-year-old benefits communications consultant balked at her doctor’s recommendation that she undergo another abdominal CT scan — her fourth in eight years. ... Hanvik’s questions about the necessity of a CT scan reflect a growing awareness of the potential pitfalls of diagnostic imaging, which in the past two decades has exploded into a $100 billion-a-year business. (Boodman, 1/6)

One third of working-age cancer survivors go into debt, and 3 percent file for bankruptcy, according to a new study. Cancer care costs have increased two to three times faster than other healthcare expenses in recent years in the U.S., the authors wrote. The average monthly cost of a new cancer therapy agent is now $10,000 and can be as high as $60,000. (Doyle, 1/5)

Diana Matsushima cares for both her husband and sister-in-law full time. ... But when either ends up hospitalized, Matsushima said her role as their primary caregiver is often overlooked. She isn’t always included in the discussions at the hospital, and she sometimes leaves confused about how to best care for them when she gets home. ... Beginning in January, family caregivers like Matsushima could have a much different experience. A new California law, SB 675, requires hospital staffers to involve a family caregiver during the hospitalization and discharge process, which supporters say will improve patients’ overall health and reduce their chances of readmission. (Gorman, 1/6)