Scenario 2: Single, working, uninsured

Name: Aaron Johnson, 24, of Seattle

Occupation: Sales clerk at The Soap Box at Pike Place Market

When Johnson received an $800 ambulance bill for a recent trip to the emergency room, he had the surprised reaction of a person with no health insurance.

"I would rather have taken a taxicab," he said.

He'd been suffering from serious flulike symptoms, but he put off seeing a doctor for days. He finally had to be rushed to Harborview Medical Center.

Turns out he had viral meningitis, a serious infection that causes inflammation in the brain.

Doctors performed a spinal tap, took an MRI scan and admitted him for the night.

The tab so far: $3,000 — and counting.

Johnson, who earns $10.50 an hour, is paying off the bills in $125 monthly installments.

Obama's health plan

The son of a former Air Force master sergeant, Johnson had generous military health coverage until he turned 21, when he no longer qualified for dependent coverage.

Under Obama's proposal, people like Johnson would qualify for dependent coverage until age 25.

While Obama would require that all children be insured, that requirement would not apply to adults.

McCain would not make coverage compulsory for everyone.

McCain's tax credit

For many healthy young people who are uninsured, McCain's $2,500 tax credit could be enough to buy decent, comprehensive coverage. The money would be sent directly to the insurer.

Regence BlueShield, for instance, charges people Johnson's age about $2,200 a year for a plan that covers 80 percent of doctor and hospital fees. But Johnson would have to pay the first $1,500 in medical bills out of his own pocket.

The premiums climb quickly as applicants get older: The same $1,500 deductible plan for a 45-year-old would cost $4,248.

For a couple in their 40s with two children, premiums would be almost $13,000 — far exceeding McCain's proposed family tax credit of $5,000.

Obama would tackle affordability on two fronts:

He would create a new national public insurance plan, through which individuals and small businesses could buy comprehensive coverage similar to that available to federal employees.

And he would provide subsidies for people who couldn't afford the public plan.

Johnson admits that until recently, being uninsured didn't worry him much. In the three years since he left his father's health plan, he'd never once shopped for coverage.

But since his medical scare, he's softened his aversion to corporate employers, saying he may even apply for work at Starbucks, which is known for its generous benefits.

"I realize that I need to have insurance," Johnson said.

Kyung Song: 206-464-2423 or ksong@seattletimes.com