The Wyoming state Legislature saved her life, according to Patty Harper, a retired nurse of Mills.

Harper said she knew she needed a colonoscopy, but as an uninsured woman on a fixed income, she would never be able to afford $4,000 for the colon cancer screening procedure.

During the 2007 legislative session, the state set aside $1.2 million as part of the Wyoming Colorectal Cancer Early Detection Program to help low-income residents pay for colonoscopies.

After making a few phone calls and filling out some light paperwork, Harper didn't pay for her colonoscopy.

"I am very lucky I did it," Harper said. "They found a precancerous polyp and removed it. They saved me from having cancer."

Colonoscopies are great tools for preventing colon cancer, according to Kim Rogers, manager of the program. The procedure screens for colon cancer and removes polyps, or mushroom-like growths on the inside of the colon that might cause cancer, at the same time.

"When you remove the polyps with precancerous cells, you remove the growth of the cells," Rogers said. "You remove the growth of the problem."

Since the program began in November, more than 350 Wyoming men and women have been screened for free. About 50 percent of those screened had polyps removed and about 76 of that group had precancerous polyps.

About 52 percent of the eligible population, those 50 and older, receive a colonoscopy in Wyoming, which is just above the national average, Rogers said. The state hopes to reach 60 percent with the program. The program received another $1.2 million this summer to continue.

There are about 205 Wyoming providers who work with the program and the state has paid about $600,000 to them.

Dr. Kent D. Katz, a gastroenterologist in Casper, joined the program to limit the number of cancer incidents.

Colon cancer is "very frustrating" for doctors, Katz said. Most people don't have symptoms until they are sick and the cancer becomes incurable.

"If it's early enough, with a colonoscopy, we can cut it out and cure it," Katz said.

If a malignant, precancerous polyp is left untreated, it can kill you in five years, Katz said. Colon cancer is the No. 2 cause of cancer-related death in men and women right behind lung cancer.

About one in 16 people in the country will be diagnosed with colon cancer, Katz said, and it is almost preventable if people are screened through a colonoscopy.

After her colonoscopy in February, the program asked Harper to write letters to legislators about what she thought of the experience.

"I said, 'Thank you,'" Harper said. "They prevented a lot of medical bills. I would have probably went in sick, had chemo and surgery. I am really proud of our state for putting this on for low-income people."

Most patients are satisfied with the program, Rogers said. People typically report, "I am relieved now" or "I never would have done this because of the cost."

A colonoscopy usually costs between $2,500 and $4,000, depending on the results from the screen.

The program reimburses Medicaid rates at about $1,650 per screen, Rogers said.

Katz said he isn't losing money on the procedures for the state, but he isn't making any either. He wants to make sure everyone who is eligible for a colonoscopy gets one.

Since her colonoscopy, Patty Harper has encouraged family and friends to be screened. Her sister and brother-in-law just recently had colonoscopies.

"I highly recommend it," Patty Harper said. "If you are over 50, get it."

Contact health reporter Allison Rupp at (307) 266-0534 or allison.rupp@trib.com.

To qualify for the colonoscopy program, you must:

* Be over the age of 50 or have a family history of colon cancer

* Live at about 250 percent of the poverty level, which is about $25,000 a year for a single person

* Lack insurance or have insurance that won't cover the procedure

* Have lived in Wyoming for at least a year

* Not have had a colonoscopy in the last 10 years

There are exceptions to these rules. For more information on the program or to check your eligibility, call Alice Preheim at (307) 777-2932.

Online applications are available at {M7http://health.wyo.gov/phsd/ccp/app.html.