Anna Claire Vollers
@acvollers.bsky.social
Reporting on health care for @stateline.org and @statesnewsroom.com. Focused on the South, based in Alabama. Into reading, running, loud music and caffeine. avollers@stateline.org
Reposted by Anna Claire Vollers
Via Anna Claire Vollers & Stateline: The Trump administration wants states to police their own education of students with disabilities, a move many teachers and parents fear will strip crucial federal oversight and deny vulnerable children services guaranteed under law. https://ow.ly/Kuok50XmsUI
November 4, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Via Anna Claire Vollers & Stateline: The Trump administration wants states to police their own education of students with disabilities, a move many teachers and parents fear will strip crucial federal oversight and deny vulnerable children services guaranteed under law. https://ow.ly/Kuok50XmsUI
I don't live anywhere near Idaho but I'll read anything @pfannyyy.bsky.social writes. This is a great look at how state and federal policies converge in a one-two-three-four punch to a state's entire health care system.
Hospital, nursing home and Medicaid advocates say the cuts will create a ripple effect that strains the state’s health care system — predicting more people will become uninsured, providers may close, and private insurance rates will rise as hospitals offset the costs of caring for uninsured people.
‘This perfect storm:’ How Idaho Medicaid cuts could affect everyone’s health care access • Idaho Capital Sun
Cuts are coming to Idaho Medicaid: doctor pay cuts, reforms in state law, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” and potentially expiring health insurance subsidies.
idahocapitalsun.com
November 5, 2025 at 1:33 AM
I don't live anywhere near Idaho but I'll read anything @pfannyyy.bsky.social writes. This is a great look at how state and federal policies converge in a one-two-three-four punch to a state's entire health care system.
Reposted by Anna Claire Vollers
CALLOUT: I'm working on a piece about pregnant people or those with newborns/infants who rely on SNAP/WIC, and I'd like to add personal stories to it. If you or someone you know is experiencing this right now or has relied on this program in the past with children, can you send me a DM? Thanks!
October 28, 2025 at 4:21 PM
CALLOUT: I'm working on a piece about pregnant people or those with newborns/infants who rely on SNAP/WIC, and I'd like to add personal stories to it. If you or someone you know is experiencing this right now or has relied on this program in the past with children, can you send me a DM? Thanks!
Reposted by Anna Claire Vollers
I am one of those people who listens to a LOT of podcasts related to news and politics. So I'm super excited that @statesnewsroom.com is launching one of our own.
Tune in on November 7!
Tune in on November 7!
Introducing: Stories From The States | News From The States
www.newsfromthestates.com
October 27, 2025 at 5:51 PM
I am one of those people who listens to a LOT of podcasts related to news and politics. So I'm super excited that @statesnewsroom.com is launching one of our own.
Tune in on November 7!
Tune in on November 7!
I love this: Every senior at an Alabama high school applied for college through a new program. The result: A record $31.7 million in scholarships at a school that's traditionally had a low rate of kids going to college. Via the must-read @trishcrain.bsky.social aldailynews.com/i-got-in-dir...
'I got in!' Direct Admission gives high school seniors a new kind of hope
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – At B.C. Rain High School in Mobile, the news didn’t come all at once. Students trickled into the counselors’ office to say the words counselors Niki Dailey and Demetria Smith will n...
aldailynews.com
October 27, 2025 at 5:58 PM
I love this: Every senior at an Alabama high school applied for college through a new program. The result: A record $31.7 million in scholarships at a school that's traditionally had a low rate of kids going to college. Via the must-read @trishcrain.bsky.social aldailynews.com/i-got-in-dir...
Reposted by Anna Claire Vollers
Really good piece here from @acvollers.bsky.social. Medicaid is foundational to health care in Alabama, particularly for children. When it’s limited or restrained, it’s usually children who suffer.
Via Anna Claire Vollers: Most state Medicaid programs pay dentists far less than private insurers do. As a result, many dentists are unwilling to take Medicaid patients, leaving low-income families in Alabama and many other states with limited options and longer wait times. https://ow.ly/xg0650Xh247
October 24, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Really good piece here from @acvollers.bsky.social. Medicaid is foundational to health care in Alabama, particularly for children. When it’s limited or restrained, it’s usually children who suffer.
My latest:
From @acvollers.bsky.social: In northwest Alabama, pediatric dentist Carson Cruise is one of the few in his area taking Medicaid patients, even though it may mean losing money.
Low reimbursement rates and other policy choices have created dental deserts in most states.
stateline.org/2025/10/23/i...
Low reimbursement rates and other policy choices have created dental deserts in most states.
stateline.org/2025/10/23/i...
In a small Alabama town, a dentist weighs whether to stop treating kids on Medicaid • Stateline
Even though more than half of Alabama children are enrolled in Medicaid, in some parts of the state, few pediatric dentists still accept Medicaid patients. Alabama is a vivid example of a national pro...
stateline.org
October 23, 2025 at 6:34 PM
My latest:
Paging Sir Charles 🐅
McCarron, who also played in the NFL and the XFL, joins a crowded Republican field that includes Secretary of State Wes Allen and Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Rick Pate.
Former University of Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron to run for lieutenant governor | Alabama Reflector
McCarron joins a crowded Republican field that includes Secretary of State Wes Allen and Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Rick Pate.
alabamareflector.com
October 23, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Paging Sir Charles 🐅
Reposted by Anna Claire Vollers
#NoKings event in Fairhope, Al.
A woman was arrested for "lewd conduct" because she was dressed in penis suit with a sign that said "No dick-tator"
3 cops on a 53 yo woman.
A woman was arrested for "lewd conduct" because she was dressed in penis suit with a sign that said "No dick-tator"
3 cops on a 53 yo woman.
October 18, 2025 at 9:01 PM
#NoKings event in Fairhope, Al.
A woman was arrested for "lewd conduct" because she was dressed in penis suit with a sign that said "No dick-tator"
3 cops on a 53 yo woman.
A woman was arrested for "lewd conduct" because she was dressed in penis suit with a sign that said "No dick-tator"
3 cops on a 53 yo woman.
Reposted by Anna Claire Vollers
Reporter tip from Vollers: Don’t stop at “coverage exists.” Ask providers what #Medicaid actually pays. Reimbursement levels determine whether #postpartum mental-health visits happen at all & cuts to some groups ripple through whole families. #Journalism #MaternalHealth
September 30, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Reporter tip from Vollers: Don’t stop at “coverage exists.” Ask providers what #Medicaid actually pays. Reimbursement levels determine whether #postpartum mental-health visits happen at all & cuts to some groups ripple through whole families. #Journalism #MaternalHealth
Reposted by Anna Claire Vollers
From @acvollers.bsky.social: Two deaths by fire this year have thrown a spotlight on the largely unregulated world of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
stateline.org/2025/09/15/d...
stateline.org/2025/09/15/d...
Deaths prompt state lawmakers to consider new hyperbaric oxygen therapy rules • Stateline
The deaths of two people, one of them a child, have thrown a spotlight on the largely unregulated world of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
stateline.org
September 15, 2025 at 1:06 PM
From @acvollers.bsky.social: Two deaths by fire this year have thrown a spotlight on the largely unregulated world of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
stateline.org/2025/09/15/d...
stateline.org/2025/09/15/d...
Reposted by Anna Claire Vollers
Via @acvollers.bsky.social and @stateline.org: Rural hospitals are less likely to offer obstetric services after they’ve been acquired by a larger health system, leading to mixed outcomes for mothers and babies, according to new research.
Rural hospitals often scrap labor and delivery services after mergers, study finds | Alabama Reflector
Rural hospitals are less likely to offer obstetric services after they’ve been acquired by a larger health system, leading to mixed outcomes for mothers and babies, according to new research.
alabamareflector.com
September 16, 2025 at 11:39 PM
Via @acvollers.bsky.social and @stateline.org: Rural hospitals are less likely to offer obstetric services after they’ve been acquired by a larger health system, leading to mixed outcomes for mothers and babies, according to new research.
Incredible reporting from my colleague Alex Brown on the ICE raid at an active wildfire, and the firefighters who are convinced it was a trap.
Following an immigration raid at an active wildfire in Washington state, wildland fire professionals are raising alarms that the leadership team in charge of the fire response may have sent their crews into an ambush.
stateline.org/2025/08/31/f...
stateline.org/2025/08/31/f...
Firefighters question leaders’ role in Washington immigration raid • Stateline
Wildland firefighters were stunned when federal immigration authorities last week raided an active wildfire response in Washington state, arresting two firefighters and sidelining crews for hours.
stateline.org
September 2, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Incredible reporting from my colleague Alex Brown on the ICE raid at an active wildfire, and the firefighters who are convinced it was a trap.
Reposted by Anna Claire Vollers
From @acvollers.bsky.social: Republican support for in vitro fertilization, after surging in the wake of a 2024 Alabama Supreme Court decision that threatened the procedure, may be splintering as President Donald Trump retreats from his IVF promises.
stateline.org/2025/08/25/a...
stateline.org/2025/08/25/a...
As Republicans spar over IVF, some turn to obscure MAHA-backed alternative • Stateline
In statehouses around the nation, in vitro fertilization has emerged as a dividing line running through the Republican Party.
stateline.org
August 25, 2025 at 1:37 PM
From @acvollers.bsky.social: Republican support for in vitro fertilization, after surging in the wake of a 2024 Alabama Supreme Court decision that threatened the procedure, may be splintering as President Donald Trump retreats from his IVF promises.
stateline.org/2025/08/25/a...
stateline.org/2025/08/25/a...
Two different people (state legislative aide and a university prof) addressed me as “Anne” in response emails this morning. Like…my real name is right there in the signature of my initial email. I don’t expect strangers to get my double name but you’d think they’d at least get “Anna” correct.
August 6, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Two different people (state legislative aide and a university prof) addressed me as “Anne” in response emails this morning. Like…my real name is right there in the signature of my initial email. I don’t expect strangers to get my double name but you’d think they’d at least get “Anna” correct.
Reposted by Anna Claire Vollers
As more hospitals have gobbled up private physician practices, costs for childbirth and other services have gone up, according to a new study.
@acvollers.bsky.social reports:
stateline.org/2025/08/05/w...
@acvollers.bsky.social reports:
stateline.org/2025/08/05/w...
When hospitals buy physician practices, prices go up • Stateline
As more hospitals have gobbled up private physician practices, costs for childbirth and other services have gone up, according to a new study. Since the early aughts, the share of physicians in the Un...
stateline.org
August 5, 2025 at 6:59 PM
As more hospitals have gobbled up private physician practices, costs for childbirth and other services have gone up, according to a new study.
@acvollers.bsky.social reports:
stateline.org/2025/08/05/w...
@acvollers.bsky.social reports:
stateline.org/2025/08/05/w...
Reposted by Anna Claire Vollers
When hospitals buy physician practices, prices go up scdailygazette.com/2025/08/06/w... by @stateline.org's @acvollers.bsky.social
When hospitals buy physician practices, prices go up • SC Daily Gazette
As fewer doctors work in physician-owned practices, patients or their insurers end up paying more, according to a new study.
scdailygazette.com
August 6, 2025 at 1:45 PM
When hospitals buy physician practices, prices go up scdailygazette.com/2025/08/06/w... by @stateline.org's @acvollers.bsky.social
Reposted by Anna Claire Vollers
Over 11.8M could lose #healthcare as Trump's #bigbeautifulbill would cut $1T from Medicaid over the next decade. People in the Delta say – national leaders are completely out of touch with the reality of what it’s like to live in rural America. @statesnewsroom.com stateline.org/2025/07/03/m...
Medicaid cuts could be devastating for the Delta and the rest of rural America • Stateline
Many people in the Delta region of the Deep South say Medicaid work requirements and other health care provisions in the "big, beautiful" tax and spending bill ignore the reality of living in poorer r...
stateline.org
July 3, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Over 11.8M could lose #healthcare as Trump's #bigbeautifulbill would cut $1T from Medicaid over the next decade. People in the Delta say – national leaders are completely out of touch with the reality of what it’s like to live in rural America. @statesnewsroom.com stateline.org/2025/07/03/m...
Reposted by Anna Claire Vollers
In his budget for the coming fiscal year, President Donald Trump has recommended eliminating some programs that fall under the Older Americans Act, a landmark 1965 law that provides social and meal services for older people, reports @acvollers.bsky.social.
‘A purpose in this world’: Older adults fear elimination of program that helps them find work
buff.ly
June 24, 2025 at 2:04 PM
In his budget for the coming fiscal year, President Donald Trump has recommended eliminating some programs that fall under the Older Americans Act, a landmark 1965 law that provides social and meal services for older people, reports @acvollers.bsky.social.
Reposted by Anna Claire Vollers
Congress is considering axing the funding for the Senior Community Service Employment Program, which provides paid part-time work at local nonprofits and government agencies for people 55 and older with low incomes.
@acvollers.bsky.social reports:
stateline.org/2025/06/23/a...
@acvollers.bsky.social reports:
stateline.org/2025/06/23/a...
‘A purpose in this world’: Older adults fear elimination of program that helps them find work • Stateline
Congress is considering axing the funding for the Senior Community Service Employment Program, which provides paid part-time work at local nonprofits and government agencies for people 55 and older wi...
stateline.org
June 23, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Congress is considering axing the funding for the Senior Community Service Employment Program, which provides paid part-time work at local nonprofits and government agencies for people 55 and older with low incomes.
@acvollers.bsky.social reports:
stateline.org/2025/06/23/a...
@acvollers.bsky.social reports:
stateline.org/2025/06/23/a...
Reposted by Anna Claire Vollers
‘Expensive and complicated’: Most rural hospitals no longer deliver babies | #ksleg via @acvollers.bsky.social kansasreflector.com/2025/06/15/e...
‘Expensive and complicated’: Most rural hospitals no longer deliver babies • Kansas Reflector
In rural counties, the loss of hospital-based obstetric care is associated with increases in births in hospital emergency rooms, less prenatal care and higher rates of babies being born too early
kansasreflector.com
June 15, 2025 at 8:08 PM
‘Expensive and complicated’: Most rural hospitals no longer deliver babies | #ksleg via @acvollers.bsky.social kansasreflector.com/2025/06/15/e...
Reposted by Anna Claire Vollers
Private equity companies have gobbled up group homes and other services for people with disabilities, attracting the attention of state and federal regulators across the nation and alarming advocates.
@acvollers.bsky.social reports:
stateline.org/2025/05/16/p...
@acvollers.bsky.social reports:
stateline.org/2025/05/16/p...
Private equity snaps up disability services, challenging state regulators • Stateline
In recent years, a handful of large private equity-owned companies such as Sevita have snapped up hundreds of smaller providers of disability services around the country and rolled them into larger co...
stateline.org
May 16, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Private equity companies have gobbled up group homes and other services for people with disabilities, attracting the attention of state and federal regulators across the nation and alarming advocates.
@acvollers.bsky.social reports:
stateline.org/2025/05/16/p...
@acvollers.bsky.social reports:
stateline.org/2025/05/16/p...
Reposted by Anna Claire Vollers
Via @acvollers.bsky.social and @stateline.org: People with intellectual or developmental disabilities have suffered abuse, neglect and even death while under the care of private equity-owned providers, according to a recent report from watchdog group Private Equity Stakeholder Project.
Private equity snaps up disability services, challenging state regulators | Alabama Reflector
A recent report said people with intellectual or developmental disabilities have suffered abuse, neglect and even death while under the care of private equity-owned providers.
alabamareflector.com
May 17, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Via @acvollers.bsky.social and @stateline.org: People with intellectual or developmental disabilities have suffered abuse, neglect and even death while under the care of private equity-owned providers, according to a recent report from watchdog group Private Equity Stakeholder Project.
Reposted by Anna Claire Vollers
The creation of Medicaid isn’t typically considered a civil rights win. But the idea of health care as a human right was a part of the Civil Rights Movement, as was the idea that universal coverage could help dismantle racial inequities.
@acvollers.bsky.social reports: stateline.org/2025/05/07/i...
@acvollers.bsky.social reports: stateline.org/2025/05/07/i...
In the Deep South, health care fights echo civil rights battles • Stateline
Just as civil rights activists marched for voting rights and an end to segregation, the next generation of organizers is demanding something they see as no less essential: the right to accessible, aff...
stateline.org
May 7, 2025 at 1:58 PM
The creation of Medicaid isn’t typically considered a civil rights win. But the idea of health care as a human right was a part of the Civil Rights Movement, as was the idea that universal coverage could help dismantle racial inequities.
@acvollers.bsky.social reports: stateline.org/2025/05/07/i...
@acvollers.bsky.social reports: stateline.org/2025/05/07/i...
Reposted by Anna Claire Vollers
Via @acvollers.bsky.social and @stateline.org: 23andMe's genetic data on 15 million customers is up for sale, stoking fears about how it might be used and prompting attorneys general from more than a dozen states to warn 23andMe users: Delete your data.
23andMe users’ genetic data is at risk, state AGs warn | Alabama Reflector
23andMe declared bankruptcy this year, and the sale of its data has prompted attorneys general from both parties to encourage personal data deletion.
alabamareflector.com
May 2, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Via @acvollers.bsky.social and @stateline.org: 23andMe's genetic data on 15 million customers is up for sale, stoking fears about how it might be used and prompting attorneys general from more than a dozen states to warn 23andMe users: Delete your data.