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New research warns coverage losses may delay early detection

• A new study projects millions of Medicaid recipients could lose coverage under upcoming eligibility changes.

• Researchers estimate the changes could lead to more than 1 million missed cancer screenings within two years.

• The study suggests delayed screenings may result in more advanced cancer diagnoses and preventable deaths.

Proposed changes to Medicaid eligibility rules could have major ripple effects on cancer screening rates across the United States, according to new research from the University of Chicago published in JAMA Network.

The analysis looked at how new federal requirements including work mandates and more frequent eligibility recertification may affect access to preventive healthcare services like mammograms, colorectal screenings, and lung cancer screenings.

Researchers say these administrative changes could make it harder for some people to stay insured, even if they still qualify for Medicaid coverage.

These new requirements introduce administrative barriers that often mean paperwork or technical errors determine whether someone gets screened for cancer, researcher Sarah Shubeck, M.D., M.S., said in a news release.

A particularly concerning aspect is that people who are disproportionately likely to lose coverage are exactly the people most likely to benefit from early cancer detection: younger adults and people from vulnerable social groups.

The study

The study focused on policy changes included in the 2025 federal budget legislation that are expected to take effect beginning in 2027.

Researchers used state-level Medicaid enrollment data and previous real-world examples including Medicaid work requirements in Arkansas and pandemic-era eligibility verification changes to estimate how many adults could lose coverage under the new rules.

They then modeled how those coverage losses might affect participation in routine cancer screenings recommended for breast, colorectal, and lung cancer. Using national screening statistics and cancer incidence data, the researchers projected potential downstream effects on diagnoses and mortality over a two-year period.

What the study found

Their projections suggest that roughly 7.5 million adults eligible for cancer screening could lose Medicaid coverage within two years of the new rules taking effect, with some estimates climbing above 10 million in more severe scenarios.

As a result, the researchers estimate the country could see more than 1 million missed cancer screenings, including approximately 406,000 missed mammograms, nearly 680,000 missed colorectal screenings, and more than 67,000 missed lung cancer screenings.

The study also projected that these missed screenings could lead to more than 2,300 undetected cancer cases nationwide. Some of those cancers may not be discovered until they have progressed to more advanced stages that are more difficult to treat.

Researchers estimated the changes could contribute to roughly 155 avoidable deaths tied to breast, colorectal, and lung cancers during the first two years after implementation.

This analysis highlights how policy changes like Medicaid cuts and restrictions can have profound and preventable negative effects on public health, researcher Adrian Diaz, M.D., said. The hope is to inform policymakers and the public about the stakes before these changes take effect."

Annual review says more sunscreens meet safety standards, though UVA protection still lags

• EWG reviewed 2,784 SPF products for its 20th annual sunscreen guide.

• The group says 550 products met its standards for ingredient safety and UV protection.

• Researchers found improvements in the market, but say many sunscreens still fall short on UVA protection.

For many shoppers, sunscreen labels can feel impossible to decode. SPF numbers, ingredient lists, and broad spectrum claims often leave consumers guessing about what actually offers good protection.

Thats why the Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases an annual sunscreen guide aimed at helping consumers sort through the crowded market.

One of the biggest takeaways from this years guide: the sunscreen industry is improving overall.

The market has improved. The number of harmful ingredients like oxybenzone has nosedived, the percentage of products that are mineral sunscreens has nearly tripled, and consumers are more informed than ever, David Andrews, Ph.D., chief science officer at EWG, said in a news release.

But the fundamental problem remains unsolved: Most American sunscreens fail to deliver adequate UVA protection, critical for reducing skin cancer risk, including melanoma. That is not a marketing problem but a failure of sunscreen companies to develop the data showing their ingredients are safe..

A look into the 2026 sunscreen guide

This year marks the organizations 20th annual report, and the EWG says it found signs of progress in the sunscreen industry.

According to the guide, 550 out of 2,784 sunscreen products reviewed met the groups standards for both ingredient safety and balanced UVA and UVB protection.

The organization also noted growth in products carrying its EWG Verified label, which is given to sunscreens that meet the following guidelines:

• Meet EWGs highest standards for safety and ingredient transparency

• Satisfy EWGs standard for ultraviolet A, or UVA, and ultraviolet B, or UVB protection

• Surpass both U.S. and European requirements for UVA protection

Wearing any sunscreen at all is key to reducing health concerns about excess UV exposure, said Dr. Andrews.

But not all sunscreens are created equal. EWGs guide is a trusted, science-based resource that consumers can turn to every year to find the sunscreens that offer the strongest broad-spectrum protection without concerning ingredients.

The work that still needs to be done

At the same time, the report says many products still fail to deliver balanced protection against UVA rays, which are associated with skin aging and can contribute to skin cancer risk. The EWG says SPF ratings mainly measure protection from UVB rays, the rays most closely linked to sunburns, while UVA protection can vary significantly between products.

The organization also cautioned consumers not to assume that extremely high SPF numbers automatically mean much better protection. According to the guide, SPF values above 50 may provide only marginally more protection from sunburn compared to SPF 30 products.

The guide also highlights ingredients that EWG recommends consumers avoid, including oxybenzone and retinyl palmitate. Shoppers looking for mineral sunscreens may want to look for products made with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, especially for children and people with sensitive skin.

The EWG additionally recommends choosing products labeled broad spectrum and reapplying sunscreen regularly, particularly after swimming or sweating.

Picking the right sunscreen

The EWG has a few tips for consumers who are in the market for sunscreen this summer:

• Choose lotion or sticks instead of sprays

• Avoid chemicals of concern and undisclosed fragrance

• Choose mineral sunscreens

• Skip high SPF numbers

What to do when your go-to discount store suddenly shuts its doors

• Hundreds of Family Dollar stores are closing, especially in the South and Appalachia, making cheap everyday essentials harder to access for many shoppers.

• Budget-conscious shoppers may need to rely more on Walmart pickup, Dollar General digital coupons, and stores like Aldi to keep costs down.

• Experts warn about cheap store creep, where shoppers slowly spend more at convenience stores and drugstores after local discount chains disappear.

For millions of shoppers, Family Dollar has long been the quick cheap stop for basics like toilet paper, snacks, cleaning supplies, and last-minute household items.

But that option is disappearing in many parts of the country.

A new analysis from Local Falcon found that at least 350 Family Dollar stores have been marked permanently closed on Google Maps over the past 10 months. The closures are hitting the South and Appalachia especially hard, with Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, and Kentucky seeing some of the biggest losses.

For shoppers in smaller towns and rural communities, these closures could make everyday essentials harder to come by and more expensive.

Why this matters for shoppers

Family Dollar stores often filled an important gap for consumers between grocery stores, convenience stores, and big-box retailers.

They were especially useful for:

• Cheap cleaning supplies
• Small grocery trips
• Low-cost paper products
• Last-minute household basics
• Avoiding long drives to Walmart or Target

When those stores start to close, shoppers may end up:

• Paying higher convenience-store prices
• Making more expensive impulse purchases
• Driving farther for essentials
• Losing access to smaller package sizes and being forced to buy in bulk

That last point matters more than people realize. While warehouse stores often have lower unit pricing, many shoppers simply cannot afford large bulk purchases upfront.

How to adapt if your local Family Dollar closes

Shift quick trips to Walmart pickup

One of the biggest money traps after a dollar-store closure is convenience shopping.

Instead of grabbing a few overpriced items at a convenience store, use Walmart pickup for small weekly orders. Even basic household items can be significantly cheaper than convenience stores.

Compare Dollar General more carefully

Many shoppers assume Dollar General and Family Dollar have nearly identical pricing. That is not always true.

Dollar General often runs stronger digital coupon promotions through its app, especially:

• Saturday $5 off $25 deals
• Laundry product promotions
• Paper-product discounts
• Cleaning supply bundles

Those coupons will often beat Family Dollar pricing entirely and are a great way to save.

Pro tip: The best time to shop Dollar General is usually on Saturday mornings when coupon stacking opportunities are the highest.

Watch out for 'cheap store creep'

One sneaky problem after dollar-store closures is shoppers tend to slowly spend more without noticing.

That happens because people replace multiple small trips with:

• Convenience stores
• Drugstores
• Grocery-store impulse buys

And those stores are often dramatically more expensive on basic household products.

Things like paper towels, soda, laundry detergent, toothpaste, and trash bags can cost 20% to 50% more at drugstores or grocery stores compared to discount chains.

Aldi and warehouse clubs may become better backup plans

If your area loses multiple dollar stores, it may finally make sense to shift more purchases to (if available):

• Aldi
• Costco
• Sams Club
• Walmart+ delivery
• Amazon Subscribe & Save

This is especially true for nonperishables and household staples. Even splitting purchases between two stores can create noticeable savings over time.

Pro tip: Amazon Subscribe & Save works best for predictable household items like toilet paper, trash bags, dishwasher pods, vitamins, and pet food. Try not to use it for impulse purchases.

Certain lots may be contaminated with Salmonella

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Sugar Foods LLC is recalling specific lots of Kroger Homestyle Cheese Garlic Croutons over possible Salmonella contamination linked to a milk powder ingredient.

• The recalled croutons were distributed to Kroger stores in 17 states, including Virginia, Texas, Ohio, and Tennessee.

• No illnesses have been reported, but consumers are being urged not to eat the affected products.

Sugar Foods LLC has issued a recall of certain lots of Kroger Homestyle Cheese Garlic Croutons after an ingredient supplier warned of possible Salmonella contamination in milk powder used in the products seasoning blend.

The recall affects five-ounce bags of Kroger Homestyle Cheese Garlic Croutons with UPC code 0 11110 81353 4 and Best If Used By dates ranging from Feb. 17, 2027 through April 7, 2027.

According to the company and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the milk powder was supplied by California Dairies Inc. to seasoning manufacturer Solina USA, which produced the seasoning blend used on the croutons.

The recall was initiated after California Dairies announced its own recall over concerns the milk powder could contain Salmonella bacteria.

Sugar Foods said the seasoning batches tested negative for Salmonella before use, but the company decided to recall the product out of an abundance of caution.

Distributed in 17 states

The recalled croutons were distributed between March 7 and April 7, 2026, to Kroger stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.

Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, particularly in young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems. Symptoms can include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting,and abdominal pain. In rare cases, the infection can spread into the bloodstream and cause more severe complications.

Consumers who purchased the recalled croutons are advised not to consume them and instead throw them away or return them to the place of purchase. Sugar Foods has established a consumer hotline at 332-240-6676 that is available around the clock for questions related to the recall.