You've heard the stories of so many people who are just a paycheck or two from being out on the street.

Now, because of high medical costs, that can even include people who make good money.

George and Barbara Knowles enjoy life at their home overlooking Lake Stevens.

Both are in good health, and in Barbara's case, it's partly because of a Well Woman health care program she's followed for 15 years at the University of Washington's Women's Heath Care Center in Seattle.

It was here that her doctor advised her to get a shot of Zostavax, a prescription drug that helps prevent a painful illness called shingles. She didn't hesitate.

"I just said, 'sure, what a great thing to know about. I'll do it', so I had the vaccine that same day," said Knowles.

"Did she say anything about cost or what would be covered by insurance?" asked KIRO 7 Consumer Investigator Amy Clancy.

"No," replied Knowles.

Knowles was shocked when she finally got her bill for the shingles vaccine: $610.

"I called Regence, thinking there must be a mistake," said Knowles.

Her insurance carrier, Regence Blue Shield, paid $222, but that still left her with a hefty bill of nearly $400 for the single shot of Zostavax.

The Knowles are not struggling financially, but Barbara worries about those who are.

" (I'm concered about those) who are either going to get stuck with a bill they maybe can't pay or aren't going to be able to afford the vaccine at all," said Knowles.

That's the deadly dilemma facing Glenda Krull of Edmonds. Her husband had a liver transplant three years ago.

"Now, his liver is failing and he needs to be on an interferon medication called Pegasus, which hopefully will help the wear and tear on his liver. And without that, he will die," said Krull.

When she reaches her insurance prescription limit, she will have to pay out-of-pocket nearly $6,000 a month for the expensive medication.

Krull is a real estate agent; her sick husband is retired. In the current weak real estate market, money is tight.

"We can exist another six months if he goes on this medication. And we won't be able to make any payments. Now, I'm forced to make the decision whether he goes on the medication or he doesn't," said Krull. "If he goes on it, we'll be bankrupt. If he doesn't he'll die. It's a bad place to be, and nobody will help me."

Doug Shadel is Washington State Director of the AARP. The retired person's lobby recently held a forum in Bellevue on the high cost of health care, called Divided We Fail.

"Over 50 percent of the personal bankruptcies involve unpaid medical bills," said Shadel.

He's urging consumers to put pressure on politicians in this election year.

"Everybody should have access to health care -- affordable, quality health care. It's really up to Congress and the state Legislature and Governor to figure out how to get that done," said Shadel.

As for Barbara Knowles, we called around and found the Zostavax vaccine is available at many local pharmacies for around $200, much less than the $610 she was asked to pay. So KIRO called the University of Washington to ask why its shot was so much more expensive.

After we started asking that question, the UW agreed to drop the price to $234 dollars.

The high cost of medical care has caused many to drop their coverage altogether.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than three-quarters of a million people in our state went without health insurance in the last survey, and that includes more than 73,000 children.