The Mississippi House and Senate on Friday passed a bill -- by votes of 82-32 and 43-8 respectively -- that would remove 65,000 people from Medicaid, the AP/Memphis Commercial Appeal reports. Many of the 65,000 people have disabilities or are elderly and have low incomes and are eligible for Medicare. About 5,000 of those who would be removed from Medicaid are not immediately eligible for Medicare, but Gov. Haley Barbour (R) has said he would seek federal waivers to help those temporarily without coverage, according to state Sen. Alan Nunnelee (R), chair of the Public Health and Welfare Committee. The waivers would cover cancer treatment, kidney dialysis or drugs to prevent organ rejection, Nunnelee said. The bill also would lower coverage of prescription drugs from seven to four prescriptions per month for brand-name drugs and unlimited prescriptions for generics. Warren Jones, executive director of the state's Medicaid program, said the bill would save money and work for "the greater good." However, some state Democrats said they thought the proposed changes would limit access to care for the poor and disabled. "We have a lot of people back home that depend on this program just to live," state Rep. Bennett Malone (D) said (Pettus, AP/Memphis Commercial Appeal, 5/8).