WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is asking Anthem Blue Cross to justify its plans to raise health insurance premiums by as much as 39 percent for customers in California.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius sent a letter to the company's president on Monday calling the planned increases extraordinary and difficult to understand. She wrote that the company has an obligation to provided a detailed justification for the rate hikes to the public.
A spokeswoman for Anthem said she would check whether the letter had been received.