House Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday there is no rush to resolve skyrocketing Obamacare costs that are at the heart of the contentious government shutdown, which was set to stretch on with no end in sight.
The Republican congressional leader brushed off the urgency to negotiate with Democrats to head off spiralling premiums for the government-backed heath insurance program, even though up to 22 million Americans will be hit with sticker shock on Nov. 1 when annual enrollments start.
“We have effectively three months to negotiate. In the White House and in the halls of Congress, that’s like an eternity,” Johnson told MSNBC , referring to Jan. 1, when new insurance plans would actually take effect.
“We need folks in good faith to come around the table and have that discussion,”