Starting January 1, 2023, commercial health insurers in Pennsylvania that cover autism services must handle the claims in a manner that complies with federal and state mental health parity laws. While the majority of insurers categorize all services for autism as mental health benefits subject to mental health parity requirements, a few commercial insurers in the state have categorized autism treatment services as a physical health benefit.

The Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID) notified commercial health insurers on November 4, 2023, about this policy change. It applies to commerical health policies that include coverage of autism services. Approximately 55,000 state . . .

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Autism & I/DD

Intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) are a physical and/or cognitive impairments that occur before the age of 22. Autism spectrum disorder is generally considered a type of developmental disability that affects behaviour and communication. The autism and I/DD market provides supports and health care services to these populations. Over the past decade, there has been an increase in the changes and challenges affecting I/DD and autism markets—the move to managed care and value-based care, the shift away from residential treatment, the increasing emphasis on consumer-directed care, and new workforce challenges.


About 90% of children with autism in Chile have at least one medical comorbidity. More than half had insomnia (61%) or were overweight (52%). About 28% had allergic rhinitis or atopic dermatitis, and 27% had constipation. Researchers analyzed a retrospective chart review of 544 children diagnosed with autism between 2015 and 2023 at a specialized pediatric neurodevelopmental center in Chile. The children’s comorbid medical conditions were identified through standardized caregiver interviews, clinical examination, body measurements,… Read