Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter expects the Alabama Legislature to address the issue of the thousands of people in the state who currently don't have health insurance.

“I think it’s still in the discussion stage,” Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) told Alabama Public Television. “You know the problem we have right now, so many hospitals are in dire straits. We have to have a conversation. We can't afford not to have it.”

Alabama is one of 10 states that has not expanded Medicaid, meaning adults with eligible children must be at least 18 percent above the poverty line to qualify for Medicaid.

As a result, thousands of Alabamians are stuck in a “coverage gap,” meaning they lose insurance coverage once they find work.

Ledbetter believes there are several options for lawmakers to fix this coverage gap without expanding Medicaid in Alabama.

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“I think we will continue to work on public-private partnerships,” he explained. “Certainly, that's something we need to consider. Providing better coverage than Medicaid for people who fall in the gap, and some people who don't have to take their insurance off as long as they already have commercial insurance. I think it will also help keep things on track.”

He also spoke at the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce this week and said one of his top priorities this session is to get more Alabamians back into the workforce.

“Even though unemployment is low, 43% of people of working age in the state do not have a job,” he said. “Now, I'm not blaming anyone for that. I'm not going to say, 'They just need to find a job, there are plenty of jobs out there.' There are many problems associated with that. ”

Yaffee is a contributor to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee