On Tuesday, American lawmakers demanded that health insurer WellPoint's Chief Executive should send in a testimony about reports that a unit of the company is now looking to raise some premiums by a whopping 39%.

Democrats House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman and Representative Bart Stupak, sent out a letter to Angela Braly, in which they requested her to come in with her testimony on February 24, at a hearing after reports came in about premium hikes by WellPoint's Anthem Blue Cross of California division.

Last week, the Los Angeles Times had reported that some 800,000 customers of the division, with individual health insurance plans, might see their premium rates rise by as much as 39% starting March 01.

In the letter sent to the Chief Executive, lawmakers demanded "a detailed explanation of the reasons for the premium rate increase proposed by Anthem Blue Cross in California", in addition to internal documents and additional information.