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.

Citing fraud, feds halt more than $1B in Medicaid money for California, Minnesota
Stateline

Citing fraud, feds halt more than $1B in Medicaid money for California, Minnesota

Jul 21, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it is freezing more than $1 billion in Medicaid payments to California and Minnesota in an effort to crack down on fraud. Medicaid is the public health insurance for people with low incomes, including...
Private investment in youth sports draws state, federal scrutiny
Stateline

Private investment in youth sports draws state, federal scrutiny

Jul 21, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
Courtney Hamby and her husband spend close to $6,000 per year for their daughter Ellie’s cheer and tumbling classes, competition fees and uniforms. That doesn’t include their travel expenses for multiple out-of-town competitions, including hotel rooms, gas, meals, and sometimes...
Salad greens scrutinized as cyclosporiasis outbreak spreads
Stateline

Salad greens scrutinized as cyclosporiasis outbreak spreads

Jul 14, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
As state and federal officials work to identify the source of the recent outbreak of the intestinal illness cyclosporiasis, Michigan health officials have identified lettuces or salad greens as one potential culprit. “Early information has shown lettuce as a common...
Private equity might dodge state laws by partnering with healthcare nonprofits
Stateline

Private equity might dodge state laws by partnering with healthcare nonprofits

Jul 13, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
It wasn’t billed as a takeover. The nonprofit hospice where Washington state nurse Milli Palmer has worked for nearly two decades announced in October 2024 that it was entering a “joint venture” with Compassus, a private equity-backed home health company...
Maine, 14 other states sue Trump administration to block school mental health funding cuts
Maine

Maine, 14 other states sue Trump administration to block school mental health funding cuts

Jul 10, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
Maine joined 15 states on Friday in suing the Trump administration to prevent millions of dollars in cuts to school-based mental health funding. The new lawsuit is part of an ongoing legal battle between Democratic-led states and the U.S. Department...
15 states sue Trump administration to block school mental health funding cuts
Stateline

15 states sue Trump administration to block school mental health funding cuts

Jul 10, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
Fifteen states on Friday sued the Trump administration to prevent millions of dollars in cuts to school-based mental health funding. The new lawsuit is part of an ongoing legal battle between Democratic-led states and the U.S. Department of Education over...
Medicaid meal deliveries reduce hospital visits and costs
Stateline

Medicaid meal deliveries reduce hospital visits and costs

Jul 08, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
About a dozen states offer “medically tailored meals” to people with conditions such as diabetes and heart disease who get their insurance through Medicaid. Such programs significantly improve the health of the people in them, according to a new study...
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...