Expenditures significantly higher when medical complexity and autism overlap versus either one alone
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Feb. 3, 2025 (HealthDay News) — There is considerable overlap between children with medical complexity (CMC) and autism, with significantly higher expenditures seen for those with medical complexity and autism, according to a study published online Feb. 3 in Pediatrics.
Philip H. Smith, Ph.D., from the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute at Drexel University in Philadelphia, and colleagues analyzed two national cross-sectional surveys: the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH; 2017 to 2018, 2019 to 2022, and 2021 to 2022) and the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey (MEPS; combined 2010 to 2021) to estimate the overlapping prevalence of medical complexity and autism among U.S. children. Health care expenditures were compared for CMC and autism versus other children.
The researchers found that prevalence of CMC and autism in the most recent 2021 to 2022 NSCH was 59.28 percent using one algorithm and 17.56 percent using a more stringent algorithm. Using either algorithm, 41 percent of CMC had autism. CMC and autism had significantly greater median health care expenditures compared with other CMC and other children with autism based on the MEPS data.
“There is a critical need for research designed to understand the implications of this overlap for child service provision, caregiver supports, and long-term outcomes,” the authors write.
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