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.

Divorce becomes next battleground as states debate family values
Stateline

Divorce becomes next battleground as states debate family values

Sep 11, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
Cerina Fairfax, a Virginia dentist and mother of two, spent nearly two years living in the same house as her husband while she was trying to divorce him. Virginia state law required couples with children, like the Fairfaxes, to wait...
A summer of recalls exposes holes in the nation’s food safety net
Stateline

A summer of recalls exposes holes in the nation’s food safety net

Aug 31, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
Jalapenos. Frozen berries. Beef. Alfalfa sprouts. A summer of food recalls, including the record-shattering cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to iceberg lettuce that has sickened thousands, has raised many Americans’ fears of contracting a foodborne illness. The recalls have focused attention on...
Meta to pay 47 states up to $17.1B in landmark child safety settlement
Stateline

Meta to pay 47 states up to $17.1B in landmark child safety settlement

Aug 26, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, on Wednesday agreed to pay 47 states, the District of Columbia, and a handful of U.S. territories, up to $17.1 billion in penalties over claims that its social media platforms are addictive and...
As states tighten oversight, private equity’s healthcare deals decline
Stateline

As states tighten oversight, private equity’s healthcare deals decline

Aug 25, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
New state oversight laws are pumping the brakes on private equity’s push into healthcare, according to new data. The number of private equity-involved healthcare deals has declined since last year, and the value of those deals in the first half...
Dozens of cities and counties sue fire truck makers over soaring costs, delivery delays
Stateline

Dozens of cities and counties sue fire truck makers over soaring costs, delivery delays

Aug 18, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
In the summer of 2023, a third of the fire engines owned by the fire department in Kansas City, Kansas, were unusable. Five of 15 pumper trucks were out of commission, and the department was waiting on parts from the...
As federal protections fade, Americans with disabilities fear a return to institutions
Idaho

As federal protections fade, Americans with disabilities fear a return to institutions

Aug 07, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
When Rob Stone finished high school in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2018, he was asked to identify three goals for his life. Stone loves art and baseball. He’s cheerful, sports a cheeky mustache, and he’s always up for an adventure. Stone...
More states ban child marriage, though it’s still legal in most of the US
Stateline

More states ban child marriage, though it’s still legal in most of the US

Aug 06, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
After authorities rescued 16 children last month who had been confined to a single room in a home in rural Ohio, attention turned to their mother, who had been 15 and pregnant when she married their father. The child endangerment...
As federal protections fade, disabled Americans fear a return to institutions
Stateline

As federal protections fade, disabled Americans fear a return to institutions

Aug 06, 2026
Anna Claire Vollers
When Rob Stone finished high school in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2018, he was asked to identify three goals for his life. Stone loves art and baseball. He’s cheerful, sports a cheeky mustache, and he’s always up for an adventure. Stone...
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...