Veteran Jesse Odwin recalled suffering from chronic health issues when he returned from serving his country overseas.

A restaurant cook, he described himself as a person who was in that gap between those who could afford health insurance and those who were eligible for Medicaid.

He said couldn’t get treatment because he could “not afford to get the preventative care I needed.”

“In 2021, I became sick at work,” Odwin said. “My legs were swollen with edema. I lost my job because I could no longer stand and do my job as a cook. I’m not alone in this struggle. There are hundreds and thousands of Alabamians who are just like me, who are trying to make ends meet and put food on the table for their families, but can’t afford the health care they need, so they go without.”

Odwin was among those making a pitch before the Madison County legislative delegation for Alabama to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.