Health
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- Written by: Environmental Working Group
With Memorial Day weekend kicking off the summer season, the Environmental Working Group is releasing its 19th annual Guide to Sunscreens.
This trusted, science-based guide reveals that almost four in five, or about 80%, of sunscreens still offer inadequate skin protection or contain potentially harmful ingredients, or both.
This year’s guide reviews 2,204 sun protection factor, or SPF, products — the most EWG has ever evaluated. Of those, 498 products meet EWG’s strictest criteria for effectiveness and safety.
“Wearing any sunscreen is much more important and offers better sun protection for your skin than not applying anything,” said EWG’s Acting Chief Science Officer David Andrews, Ph.D. “But not all sunscreens are created equal. EWG’s guide is a valuable and trusted resource that consumers can turn to every year to find the sunscreens that offer strongest broad spectrum protection without the use of concerning ingredients.”
Sunscreen helps prevent sunburn, premature aging and skin cancer, but outdated Food and Drug Administration rules and misleading marketing leave consumers at risk. That’s where EWG steps in with its guide, first launched in 2007. Every year EWG scientists cut through the advertising hype to analyze what’s actually in sunscreens, their safety, and their sun protection effectiveness.
Ingredients of concern
Undisclosed “fragrance,” which can include allergens or hormone-disrupting chemicals, is still widely used in sunscreens, appearing in 36% of the products in the guide.
EWG is also highlighting concern this year over the increasing use of under-regulated SPF “boosters” in sunscreens. The boosters may inflate a product’s SPF values without enhancing broad spectrum protection against the sun’s ultraviolet A or B, or UVA and UVB, rays.
Unlike Europe and Asia, where stricter rules govern UVA protection, the U.S. still permits the sale of sunscreens carrying inflated SPF numbers while offering little assurance of UVA protection against deep skin damage.
The increasing use of the booster ingredient butyloctyl salicylate, or BOS, in sunscreens is particularly notable. It is a common sunscreen additive advertised to improve texture, boost SPF ratings and stabilize active ingredients. But it may contribute to misleading information about a product’s sun protection. There is additional concern about its ability to absorb and metabolize in the body to salicylic acid.
“Even if a sunscreen delivers its labeled SPF, it may fall short by containing concerning ingredients,” said Andrews. “Our top-rated products offer balanced protection from UVA and UVB radiation.”
Spray sunscreens continue to be common, representing 26% of products in the guide. But they can be risky, because their ingredients are typically inhaled. They’re also often considered less effective than a lotion due to uneven coverage when applied outside.
Sunscreen improvements
It’s not all bad news when it comes to sun protection, as shown by the almost 500 products that meet EWG’s criteria for safer sunscreens.
A total of 63 sunscreens from 13 brands now also qualify to bear the EWGVerified mark. Only products that meet EWG’s highest standards for safety, transparency and UVA/UVB protection bear the mark.
One of the biggest shifts in the sunscreen market is the growing demand for mineral-based products, which contain zinc oxide and titanium dioxide for UV protection. These ingredients are the only active sunscreen filters generally recognized as safe and effective by the FDA. This year’s guide finds 43% of sunscreens use one of these two ingredients, up from 17%, in 2007.
This year’s guide also shows that manufacturers are rapidly moving away from the use of the troubling ingredients oxybenzone and vitamin A.
Oxybenzone has high absorption through the skin and exposure is linked to potential health harms, including disruption of the hormone system, in addition to harmful effects on aquatic and marine ecosystems. EWG’s Guide to Sunscreens finds oxybenzone is now in just 9% of non-mineral sunscreens, down from a peak of 70%.
EWG cautions against use of sunscreen with vitamin A, which can degrade in sunlight, potentially accelerating rather than preventing skin cancer. It’s now in only two% of sunscreens, plummeting from a high of 41%.
Protecting against the sun
Sunscreen is a vital part of protection from harmful sun exposure, particularly during the summer months, when people spend more time outdoors.
“Our guide helps consumers make informed choices,”said JillySenk, EWG’s Healthy Living Science associate. “Our scientists have taken the guesswork out of the search for broad spectrum sunscreens with less hazardous ingredients.”
That’s why the Guide to Sunscreens also offers important lists, including a selection of the top-rated recreational sunscreens, the safest for kids and babies, moisturizers with SPF and lip balms — those EWG scientists ranked the highest for their overall protection from UVA and UVB rays and other factors.
The guide also offers plenty of information about the history of sunscreen regulation, why many products and regulations in the U.S.fall short, and more.
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- Written by: Partnership HealthPlan of California
MACPAC is a nonpartisan commission that provides policy and data analysis to advise Congress, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and states on issues impacting Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.
“I’m excited to continue the important work of MACPAC,” Bjork said. “As a safety-net plan, Partnership has great experience serving extremely rural counties, it is critical that the challenges facing these communities throughout the nation continues to be brought forward.”
Along with Bjork, three other people were reappointed, and two new members were added to the commission.
“I am honored to appoint our two newest members to this important commission and to welcome back our reappointed members,” Gene L. Dodaro said in the U.S. Government Accountability Office press release. “Their valuable expertise and commitment to public service will enhance MACPAC’s role in providing Congress with thoughtful, evidence-based guidance on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).”
As one of the 17 commissioners, Bjork brings her expertise in operations and leadership of local Medicaid managed care plans to her service on the Commission.
Bjork was first appointed to the commission in 2022 and will continue to serve until April 2028.
Partnership is a community-based, safety-net health care organization that contracts with the state to administer Medi-Cal benefits. Partnership provides quality care to over 900,000 Medi-Cal members.
Starting in Solano County in 1994, Partnership now serves 24 Northern California counties — Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Marin, Mendocino, Modoc, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo, and Yuba.
Learn more about Partnership at PartnershipHP.org.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
During National Trauma Awareness Month in May, nonprofit blood services provider Vitalant asks all who are eligible to give and make sure blood is available for even the most unexpected events.
Alyssa Chase had a fierce passion for exploring the outdoors until a motorcycle crash caused multiple traumatic injuries and broken bones. She received six units of blood to help her to survive.
“I still travel often and hike when I can. I’m not as active as I used to be, but I try to live my life without fear, and still be careful about my health,” Chase said. “The accident changed my life, but thanks to blood donors, I’m still here today.”
Donors of every blood type play a critical role in helping patients. Type O donations are especially needed as that is the most transfused blood type.
As a special thank you to donors in May, all who give with Vitalant will automatically be entered to win one of two “Epic” vacation packages, including four tickets to Universal Epic Universe theme park at Universal Orlando Resort, travel vouchers for airfare and hotel accommodations, and a $2,500 prepaid gift card.
Learn more and make an appointment to give at vitalant.org, download and use the Vitalant blood donor app or call 877-25-VITAL (877-258-4825).
Vitalant is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit blood and biotherapies healthcare organizations, providing hospitals and patients across the U.S. a safe blood supply, specialized laboratory services, transfusion medicine expertise and world-renowned research. Individuals generously donating blood, volunteering and giving financially are essential to our lifesaving mission.
Learn more at vitalant.org.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Enrollment rose for the fourth consecutive year after the passage of enhanced premium tax credits through the American Rescue Plan in 2021.
The federal enhanced subsidies were supplemented by a California-only Cost-Sharing Reduction program that Californians took advantage of the past two open enrollments.
“The tremendous success during this open enrollment is the payoff from the work California has done for years to maximize the Affordable Care Act,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said. “California’s uninsured rate has continued to drop as Covered California has made it easier for consumers to find quality coverage at an affordable price.”
Open enrollment began with a record-low uninsured rate of 6.4 percent among Californians, according to federal data.
Since Covered California launched in 2014, California’s uninsured rate has fallen from 17.2 percent to 6.4 percent in 2023, which is the largest percentage point drop for any state in the nation during the ACA era.
More than 6.3 million Californians, or approximately 1 in 6, have had marketplace coverage since 2014.
“Covered California continues to deliver on the promise of the Affordable Care Act,” executive director Jessica Altman said. “The law was created to make sure all Americans could have access to health insurance. With the enhanced federal subsidies since 2021 and California’s exclusive cost-sharing-reduction program introduced last year, we have made that a reality for more Californians than ever before in 2025.”
Enhanced subsidies set to expire
That reality may change in 2026 without action from the United States Congress and President Trump to extend the enhanced subsidies after they expire at the end of this year.
Data shows that on average, consumers save an additional $101 on premium costs each month and that includes over 170,000 middle-income enrollees that are now receiving tax credits when they weren’t previously eligible. For some consumers, that means as much as $395 a month in financial assistance.
“Without an extension for the enhanced subsidies, the loss of coverage could be significant in California,” Altman said. “Every region and corner of the state would be impacted negatively — from small business owners and gig workers, to agricultural workers and residents working multiple jobs to make ends’ meet. It is imperative that federal actions are taken to keep these Americans enrolled.”
Covered California has an ongoing special-enrollment period for residents of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, where a state of emergency was declared by Gov. Newsom due to the Palisades and Eaton fires.
Uninsured residents of these two counties have until March 8 to sign up for coverage for the rest of 2025.
Signing up for coverage is easy
Consumers can learn more about their options by visiting CoveredCA.com, where they can easily find out if they qualify for financial help and see the coverage options in their area.
Those interested in learning more about their coverage options can also:
• Get free and confidential assistance over the phone, in a variety of languages, from one of more than 14,000 certified agents and community-based organizations throughout the state that provide free, confidential help in whatever language or dialect consumers prefer.
• Have a certified enroller call them and help them for free.
• Use Covered California’s online calculator tool.
• Call Covered California at 800-300-1506.
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