Editors’ Top Five Week of February 5, 2018

1.8 Percent Hike in 2019 Payments to Medicare Insurers
The U.S. government proposed an increase of 1.84 percent on average in its 2019 payments to the health insurers that manage Medicare Advantage insurance plans for more than 20 million elderly or disabled people. (Caroline Humer/Reuters)

Fewer Doctors Are Opting Out of Medicare
The CMS saw a sharp decrease in the number of providers opting out of Medicare in 2017, after several years where thousands indicated that they did not want to participate in the program. (Virgil Dickson/Modern Healthcare)

Can Amazon Do to Health Care What It Did to Books?
Amazon shook up the health care world on Tuesday, announcing it was partnering with fellow heavy hitters Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM) to address soaring costs. (Tami Luhby/CNN Money)

Employer Health Insurance: Often Hated, Sometimes Pioneering, Now on Amazon’s Radar
In the United States, most working-age people get their health insurance through work. It’s a weird, kludgy system, largely an artifact of history. Economists, politicians and workers alike complain that the setup is inefficient and maddening. (Margot Sanger-Katz/The New York Times)

Nurses With a Mission: Send Older ER Patients Home With Help
About 100 hospitals in the United States have opened geriatric emergency departments or trained ER teams in geriatrics care. These teams can arrange home services such as light housekeeping or a break for a caregiver. (Carla K. Johnson/NBC Bay Area)