Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul continued his crusade against the Affordable Care Act and the pending Senate health care bill Monday, advocating for two bills that would satisfy both parties.

"I think they're still trying to fit a square peg in a round hole," Paul said. "It looks to me like it needs to be two bills: a smaller, more narrow repeal and a bill that requires more government spending that Democrats would support."

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Paul is fighting an uphill battle not only against Democrats but also against fellow Kentucky Republican and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is attempting to pass the Senate's health care bill before the August recess.

Paul, however, doesn't think McConnell's plan does enough to eliminate government spending and said he wants to work with the majority leader.

"We have not had a lot of negotiation yet," Paul said. "If we reach impasse, I want to be a part of the solution. ... Some in the Senate leadership are saying 'forget the conservatives, we're just going to work with the Democrats.' I think they should be supportive of the conservatives in their party who want repeal."

Paul met with community leaders in Shelbyville on Monday to hear their stories and concerns with health care, making a push for his association health care plan, which would allow people to join large groups for cheaper health insurance.

"We need to let everyone get out of the individual market for health care," Paul said.

In addition to local government and community leaders, the crowd at the Farm Bureau Insurance building included several small business owners.

Mary Courtney, a farmer in Shelbyville, said her rates are sometimes $1,400 a month for health insurance because the family farm can't enter into a larger group for reductions. She said her insurance costs are equivalent to an employee's salary at the farm and agreed with Paul's idea of association health care plans.

"Listening to him today I see a lot of great components," Courtney said. "I think we need to take an element of all the proposed plans to come up with something that's workable."

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Monday's meeting is one of many recent visits Paul has made to the Louisville area to discuss the Senate health care bill with Kentuckians. Paul's main talking point is that the proposed model doesn't replace the more than $120 billion in insurance subsidies or the necessary mandates for people's plans.

"The death spiral of Obamacare gets worse under the Republican plan," Paul said. "It looks to me like a big insurance company bailout even though they make $15 billion a year. I see no reason why we should give anything to insurance companies."

Thomas Novelly is a breaking news and crime reporter for the Courier-Journal. Reach him at 502-582-4465 or by email at tnovelly@courier-journal.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly.

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