The federal government is pressing private insurers offering a new drug benefit to include a long list of pharmaceuticals to their formularies. The result will likely be a wider choice of drugs than what is now available to many people in a private health plan, and some insurers are beginning to worry that the government's insistence on a broad drug package may force the cost of the program out of control. The drug benefit was originally advertised at a cost of $395 billion over 10 years, which was later raised to $534 billion. The Congressional Budget Office later revised that figure upward after accounting for the administration's formulary requirements.
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