KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Tennessee’s governor has proposed millions of dollars in budget cuts, and some TennCare benefits have found their way onto the chopping block.

Governor Phil Bredesen has proposed putting a cap on the number of visits TennCare enrollees can take to the doctor each year. That doesn’t sit well with thousands of people that currently participate in the state’s Medicaid program.

Luther Willis suffers from mental health problems.

“I'm a schizophrenic and manic depressant," he told Volunteer TV News.

Willis takes part in programs at the Friendship House, where he frequently spends time around people suffering from the same problems.

“You learn more about your illness, how to treat others and be nice to others,” he said.

Unfortunately he has already lost his TennCare coverage and can’t participate in all the programs.

"They won't let me take classes,” Willis said. “When I go to the doctor, I have to pay for it myself. I have Medicare and its kind of hard paying for it."

There are thousands of mental health patients like Luther who were dropped from TennCare in 2005. With the already gloomy state budget this year, those who still have coverage could soon see a change in their benefits.

"This time around we're not necessarily discarding,” said Ben Harrington, executive director of the Mental Health Association of East Tennessee. “What we're talking about is keeping you in the program, but giving you a whole lot less."

Among those changes is a proposed cap that would cover only eight visits to the doctor’s office a year.

"I would suggest we seriously take a look at the TennCare caps,” said Harrington, “and say that people with mental illness be exempt from caps."

"Most of them that we would be proposing are not reductions,” said Kelly Gunderson, a spokesperson for TennCare. “It’s just a reflection of where we are as state revenues are down and we have to live within our means."

TennCare representatives told WVLT Volunteer TV News that they realize people with mental illnesses are especially vulnerable, so they are trying to minimize the impact.

"Case management visits don't count against your visits per limit,” said Gunderson. “Also the brief medication management visits where someone may go and check in to make sure the medication is working properly, that will also be exempt from the limit."

Mental health patients like Willis are just hoping for a change in health insurance.

“I've seen a lot of changes in our society,” he said. “It seems like they should make a way for those who don't have insurance to have insurance to be equal."

If you are on TennCare and don't want to see physician visit caps, Harrington says you should write your Medicare and Medicaid services.