Anthem Hikes Some Health Policies About 10 Percent

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anthem Blue Cross is hiking rates 9.8 percent on average for individual insurance policyholders, on the heels of a rate hike in October that averaged 14 percent.

Neither rate hike is as big as the 39 percent rate hike the state's biggest insurer proposed last year, which drew the Obama administration's admonition in the runup to reform.

That hike was withdrawn under scrutiny from state regulators who found accounting problems in the insurer's proposal that wrongly inflated rates.

In its rate hike proposal, Anthem said that some members will also see their benefits reduced.

The company says its policies are competitively priced and reflect rising health care costs.

The rates go into effect April 1.

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