Number of Uninsured Americans Climbs Even Higher

The oft-quoted number was 45 million, then 46 million and now the number of uninsured Americans has risen to 47 million, according to the Commerce Department's Census Bureau.

George Bush's Texas had the highest rate of uninsured, with 24.1 percent of residents without health care coverage. Collectively, the southern and western United States had the highest uninsured rates, accounting for more than 32 million people without health care.

The percentage of Americans with either employer-paid insurance or government-sponsored health coverage continues to drop, according to the census and other reports.