Anna Claire Vollers

Anna Claire Vollers

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Anna Claire Vollers covers health care for Stateline. She has nearly 20 years’ experience reporting across the American South, specializing in stories about women, children and families. Before joining Stateline, she worked for outlets including AL.com, Reckon and The Birmingham News. Her investigative work has led to state policy and legal changes on issues such as unregulated day cares, teen boot camps and maternal health care. In 2017, she uncovered accusers of Alabama state Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore during his U.S. Senate run. She has won national and regional awards for her reporting and feature writing. Anna Claire holds degrees in journalism and English from Auburn University and lives in Alabama.

25 Democratic-led states sue Trump administration over Medicaid work requirements
Stateline

25 Democratic-led states sue Trump administration over Medicaid work requirements

Jun 29, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
Twenty-five Democratic-led states plus the District of Columbia have sued the Trump administration over its new work requirements for people who get their health insurance through Medicaid. At issue is a “medically frail” designation that the states say is too...
More states tighten voting rules ahead of midterm elections
Stateline

More states tighten voting rules ahead of midterm elections

Jun 29, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
At least nine states have passed voting laws this year that will make it more difficult for some voters to cast their ballots during the midterm elections in November. Lawmakers in Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Dakota...
Public universities face escalating involvement from state lawmakers
Stateline

Public universities face escalating involvement from state lawmakers

Jun 25, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
Jennifer Brooks, a history professor at Auburn University, had barely unpacked from a trip out of town earlier this month when the messages started blowing up her phone. Texts from colleagues and rumors on social media delivered the unsettling news...
Several Republican-led states rebrand Pride Month
Stateline

Several Republican-led states rebrand Pride Month

Jun 18, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
A half dozen Republican governors are pushing alternative labels for June, which is widely recognized in the United States as Pride Month. Without explicitly tying their efforts to a replacement of Pride Month — which celebrates the LGBTQ+ community —...
States step into voting rights void left by federal rulings
Stateline

States step into voting rights void left by federal rulings

Jun 10, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
As the U.S. Supreme Court pulls back from the landmark federal law designed to safeguard the voting rights of minorities, more states are stepping in to prohibit discrimination in state and local elections. State versions of the 1965 Voting Rights...
After nursing home crises, states target private equity’s role
Stateline

After nursing home crises, states target private equity’s role

Jun 09, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
Nearly 200 residents at the St. Joseph’s Center nursing home in the affluent Connecticut suburb of Trumbull were evacuated last year after Legionella bacteria was found in the facility’s water system. Two months later, they were evacuated again over critical...
States face tight timeline as feds unveil new Medicaid work requirement rules
Stateline

States face tight timeline as feds unveil new Medicaid work requirement rules

Jun 02, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
The federal government released new guidance this week on how states should roll out the Medicaid work requirements that will affect healthcare coverage for millions of Americans. The new interim rule, issued by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...
More megachurches want to be your alma mater
Stateline

More megachurches want to be your alma mater

May 27, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
In the heart of the Bible Belt, a small Methodist college graduated its final class in May 2024, shutting its doors after 168 years. Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama, was a Christian private liberal arts school that counted among its...
The redistricting frenzy is scrambling the midterm elections. Here’s where things stand now.
Stateline

The redistricting frenzy is scrambling the midterm elections. Here’s where things stand now.

May 15, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
In the past two years, a dozen states have either approved new U.S. House maps or are moving toward doing so — a highly unusual mid-decade revamp prompted by President Donald Trump and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling late last...
How a legal challenge over gender dysphoria became a fight for disability rights
Stateline

How a legal challenge over gender dysphoria became a fight for disability rights

May 06, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
Charlotte Cravins’ son Landry turned 2 in January. He’s a smiley little boy who loves singing “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and recently got his first pair of glasses. Landry was born with Down syndrome and has impaired vision. He receives publicly...
Supreme Court voting rights ruling set to reshape local power from statehouses to school boards
Stateline

Supreme Court voting rights ruling set to reshape local power from statehouses to school boards

May 04, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
The U.S. Supreme Court’s new decision gutting a key provision of the federal Voting Rights Act clears the way for state officials to drastically reshape not only Congress but also state legislatures, county commissions, city councils and even local school...
GOP candidates revive anti-Islam attacks as midterms approach
Stateline

GOP candidates revive anti-Islam attacks as midterms approach

Apr 28, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
Republican lawmakers and candidates across the country have escalated their anti-Islam rhetoric in recent months, a strategy aimed at energizing voters by claiming without evidence that Muslim culture and religious tenets threaten American political values. Political observers say Republicans are...