Wellpoint announced that Angela Braly, 51, had stepped down effective immediately. Braly had been dogged by criticism over WellPoint’s slumping stock, managerial blunders and disappointing earnings. She also caught the ire of consumers and even President Obama in 2010 for trying to raise rates by up to 39% in California. The Indianapolis company said its board of directors would consider internal and external candidates for its next CEO and noted that Cannon didn’t want to be considered for the full-time job. Jackie Ward, WellPoint’s lead outside director, was named company chairwoman.