Young Adults With Autism & Intellectual Disability Had Higher Health Care Costs Than Those With Autism Alone

Medicaid fee-for-service health care expenditures among youth and young adults ages 16 to 19 with developmental disabilities transitioning to the adult health care system between 2015 and 2019 were higher for those with both autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID) than for those with only ASD or only ID, according to a recent study. For all three diagnosis groups, Medicaid fee for service expenditures increased for psychiatric outpatient services and psychiatric long-term care, while expenditures for inpatient psychiatric services and psychiatric medications declined during the same period.

The analysis focused on four service types: outpatient . . .