NATCHEZ &045; It’s taken research &uot;day after day after day,&uot; but Jerry Brown finally believes he sees the light at the end of the tunnel.

The Medicaid recipient, one of 65,000 Mississippians being cut off from the health care aid, was glad to see this week’s extension of the deadline to cut off benefits. On Monday, Gov. Haley Barbour announced the extension to give recipients more time to find financial help for their prescription drugs.

Brown, 51, a diabetic and veteran, will be able to find help through several sources, including the Veterans Administration and patient assistance programs.

&uot;Things are looking up,&uot; he said. &uot;I’ve got a little more time Š to research the options.&uot;

But Brown said his work &045; through phone calls and Internet searches &045; has been extensive.

&uot;It’s been day after day after day,&uot; he said. &uot;It has worried me.&uot;

Brown was part of the audience Tuesday when a Medicaid representative spoke to recipients at the Natchez Senior Citizen Center.

In the past few weeks, 65,000 Medicaid recipients &045; 6 percent of the total number of recipients in the state &045; received letters that their prescription coverage would be cut off as of July 1. Barbour extended that deadline Monday, acknowledging his office did a poor job informing recipients and pledging a better education and outreach program over the next 11 weeks.

&uot;This allows us to do an overall education program,&uot; said Dorothy Jones, a Medicaid representative from Jackson who spoke Tuesday.

Those people who are losing their Medicaid benefits do have options for coverage. Most qualify for Medicare benefits and can sign up for one of the new prescription drug discount cards.

To do so, people can call 1-800-Medicare or 1-800-421-2408 to get more information and to get specific, personalized recommendations for cards. When patients call, they should make sure to have a list of their medications with them to share with the operator.

In addition to the cards, Medicare recipients can also qualify for different patient assistance programs, some of which may be able to lower the cost of their drugs or even provide them for free.

For example, Brown said he will be able to get insulin for $12 now through one of the programs, where it would have cost him $170.

But patients must file applications for those programs through their doctors’ offices. Drug companies which sponsor the patient assistance programs must have a statement from a doctor before they can provide the drugs.

There are nearly 5,000 people cut off from Medicaid who do not qualify for Medicare. Jones said the governor is working to get a waiver from the federal government to allow those patients &045; who receive treatment for end-stage renal disease, cancer, organ transplants and psychosis &045; to receive Medicaid. If that comes through, those patients would be fully covered by Medicaid again.