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Nearly seven-eighths of the country's top healthcare leaders favor the government taking a bigger role in curbing the rising cost of prescription drugs, while nearly all say that the two-year runup in drug prices has hurt their bottom lines. A whopping 90% of CEOs responding to Modern Healthcare's latest CEO Power Panel survey said rising drug costs were undermining their finances. Nearly half (45%) said the impact was “very negative.” (Johnson, 11/14)

In addition to the medical and emotional toll, the financial cost of cancer can be overwhelming. On average, some of the newer drugs run to $10,000 a month, with some exceeding $30,000 a month, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, a group of about 35,000 cancer professionals. ASCO and another group, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), have begun developing guidelines and tools to help physicians, patients, and their families assess efficacy, toxicity, and costs of the various treatment options. (Bauers, 11/15)