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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Thursday that it could be possible to get the GOP healthcare bill through the Senate if you split it in two.

On MSNBC, Paul compared the stalled healthcare bill to the Compromise of 1850 that saw Congress pass several separate bills related to disputes between slave states and free states. He said that could be a way around current hurdles in the Senate, where conservatives want a bill that's much closer to repeal of Obamacare, while moderate Republicans are worried that the bill takes away too much money from Medicaid.

"Remember Henry Clay's compromise of 1850," Paul said. "It couldn't pass, they broke it into four pieces and they passed them individually."

"I think if we take this bill and split it into two pieces," Paul said of the healthcare bill. "We pass one that is more ... looks like repeal that conservatives like, and then the other one you load up with all kinds of Christmas ornaments and gifts and money, just pile money on it that the Democrats will vote for, and some of the Republicans will vote for. Then I think both end up passing."

"It may not be completely good for the country, but you at least get the repeal that way," he added.

Paul said a longer-term answer for insuring the 20 million uninsured people that Obamacare left behind is to let them join a co-op and get lower prices by signing up together. But he said for that to work, Obamacare must be changed so less expensive policies are available.

"You have to legalize inexpensive insurance," he said.

He added that the problem with Obamacare's Medicaid expansion was that it was essentially free insurance that the government now has to pay for. He said under the GOP bill, funding for Medicaid expansion would continue to increase, but at a slower rate, and it would require states to pick up some of the tab.

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Rand Paul: Healthcare bill could pass if you split it in two - Washington Examiner