Former Arizona county sheriff Richard Mack, a fierce opponent of Obamacare and a leader in the “constitutional sheriff” movement, is struggling to pay his medical bills after he and his wife each faced serious illnesses. The former sheriff and his wife do not have health insurance and started a GoFundMe campaign to solicit donations from family and friends to cover the costs of their medical care.

“Because they are self-employed, they have no medical insurance and are in desperate need of our assistance,” reads a note on Mack’s personal website.

Mack, the founder of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, suffered a heart attack in January and is in recovery. His wife fell ill late last year. Mack is on the board of Oath Keepers, a right-wing fringe group made up of police and military veterans, and is known for supporting Cliven Bundy in his standoff against the federal government. He is also an ardent opponent of Obamacare.

“The States do not have to take or support or pay for Obamacare or anything else from Washington DC. The States are not subject to federal direction,” he wrote on his website, outlining how state governments can block President Obama.

The CSPOA lauded South Carolina for using Mack’s 1992 lawsuit against gun control legislation to attempt to nullify the Affordable Care Act in the state.

“Now as states wake up to their true power and responsibility, we have SC taking exemplary action to protect their citizens from an out of control federal government,” a CSPOA blog post about the South Carolina bill reads.

Mack founded the CSPOA to “unite all public servants and sheriffs, to keep their word to uphold, defend, protect, preserve, and obey the Constitutions of the United States of America” and described the group as “the army to set our nation free.” The CSPOA is helping to get the word out about the fundraising campaign to offset the Macks’ medical expenses.

“Since it appears that recovery will take a good deal of time with associated expenses, I struggle to not feel stress – both the stress of thinking about huge hospital and other medical bills as well as regular living expenses while I am unable to work — and also the stress of not being able to accomplish what I am so passionate about doing for others,” Mack wrote in a note on his GoFundMe page. “It is difficult and humbling to say that we need your help, but we do.”