Don't have health insurance? read this

Shape, Sept, 2007

* If you're among the more than 48 million Americans who lack health insurance-whether you're a full-time freelancer or recently unemployed--you might think affordable coverage is a pipe dream. Not so, says Laura Casey, author of How to Get the Health Care You Want. "You are your own best human resources department," she says.

"And user-friendly Web sites can help you navigate the alphabet soup of options." Go to ehealthinsurance.com for several coverage plans. If you already have a few in mind, get answers to questions like "if I get sick, which plan will take better care of me?" at the site of the National Committee for Quality Assurance, hprc.ncqa.org. Before deciding to go without, consider this: You may qualify for Medicare or your state's high-risk pool. For more information, visit the National Association of Health Underwriters at nahu.org/consumer/healthcare.