Under pressure from both the federal and California state government, Anthem Blue Cross delayed a double-digit rate increase by two months but expressed confidence that its new premiums would pass state scrutiny. The California insurance commissioner requested the delay after an estimated 700,000 individual policy holders began receiving notices from the insurer of increases, some as high as 39%. The increases, originally scheduled to take effect March 1, were suspended until May 1, the New York Times reports.
