Do Access Barriers to Autism Care Persist Despite Autism Insurance Mandate?

描述（由申请人提供）：自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）是一种神经发育障碍，2006年美国每110名儿童中就有1名受其影响，近年来其患病率迅速上升。鉴于对自闭症护理的需求越来越未得到满足，越来越多的州通过了要求私人保险公司提供自闭症保险的法令。然而，在这些命令生效后，自闭症服务的使用、成本和健康效益的实际变化却鲜为人知。更重要的是，尽管有有关自闭症的规定，但私人保险的自闭症儿童获得自闭症护理的障碍仍然存在。如果没有及时的研究和明智的政策措施来解决持续存在的获取障碍，自闭症儿童的护理可能会受到损害。使用一个独特的大型多州私人保险索赔数据库，本研究将是：1)第一个使用授权后私人保险索赔数据来衡量自闭症保险授权后自闭症服务使用、成本和健康效益的实际变化的研究；2)第一个探索尽管有自闭症的规定，但仍然存在的准入障碍的研究。这些发现将：1)有助于评估基于实际变化而非前瞻性预测的自闭症授权；2)帮助决策者设计未来的自闭症授权，并确定自闭症保险授权通过后的下一步基本步骤，以进一步消除准入障碍，更好地为自闭症儿童服务。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological developmental disorder that affected approximately 1 in 110 children in the United States in 2006, and its prevalence has risen rapidly in recent years. In view of increasingly unmet needs for autism care, more and more states have passed mandates requiring private insurers to provide autism insurance. However, little is known about actual changes in autism services use, costs and health benefits after such mandates take effect. More importantly, access barriers to autism care persist for privately insured autistic children despite autism mandates. Without timely study and informed policy measures to address persistent access barriers, the care of children with ASD may be jeopardized. Using a unique large multi-state private insurance claims database, this research will be: 1) the first study to use post- mandate private insurance claims data to measure actual changes in autism service use, costs and health benefits after autism insurance mandates; and 2) the first study to explore access barriers that persist despite autism mandates. The findings will: 1) help evaluate autism mandates based on actual changes rather than prospective projections; and 2) help decision makers design future autism mandates and identify the next essential steps following the passage of autism insurance mandates to further remove access barriers and better serve children with ASD.