America’s uninsured rate held essentially steady from 2016 to 2017, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures published on Wednesday, the first year this decade that the nation did not make progress in reducing the ranks of those without health insurance. The finding suggests America’s recent success in lowering its uninsured population has plateaued, with potential implications for policymaking and the fate of the U.S. health care system. (Jeff Stein, Washington Post)