This study compared in-school and out-of-school behavioral health service use and associated expenditures among children of different ages and with different psychiatric disorders. Medicaid claims from one city provided a sample of 24,271 children aged 5-17 years with psychiatric disorders who received one or more Medicaid-funded behavioral health…

Healthcare costs and service use for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were compared between Medicaid and private insurance, using 2003 insurance claims data in 24 states. In terms of costs and service use per child with ASD, Medicaid had higher total healthcare costs (22,653 vs. 5,254), higher ASD-specific costs (7,438 vs. 928), higher psychotropic…

This study examined how county-level resources are associated with the identification of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in Medicaid. Medicaid claims from 2004 were combined with county-level data. There were 61,891 children diagnosed with ASD in the Medicaid system in 2004. Counties with lower per-student education expenditures,…

Many states are considering legislation requiring private insurance companies to pay for autism-related services. Arguments against mandates include that they will result in higher premiums. Using Pennsylvania legislation as an example, which proposed covering services up to $36,000 per year for individuals less than 21 years of age, this paper…