Studies from University of Arkansas Update Current Data on Autism (Do Insurance Mandates Affect Racial Disparities in Outcomes for Children with…

Mental Health Weekly Digest

Studies from University of Arkansas Update Current Data on Autism (Do Insurance Mandates Affect Racial Disparities in Outcomes for Children with Autism?)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Mental Health Weekly Digest -- A new study on Developmental Diseases and Conditions - Autism is now available. According to news reporting originating from Little Rock, Arkansas, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, "The study investigated whether state mandates for private insurers to provide services for children with autism influence racial disparities in outcomes. The study used 2005/2006 and 2009/2010 waves of the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs."

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from the University of Arkansas, "Children with a current diagnosis of autism were included in the sample. Children residing in 14 states and the District of Columbia that were not covered by the mandate in the 2005/2006 survey, but were covered in the 2009/2010 survey, served as the mandate group. Children residing in 32 states that were not covered by a mandate in either wave served as the comparison group. Outcome measures assessed included care quality, family economics, and child health. A difference-in-difference-in-differences (DDD) approach was used to assess the impact of the mandates on racial disparities in outcomes. Non-white children had less access to family-centered care compared to white children in both waves of data, but this difference was not apparent across mandate and comparison states as only the comparison states had significant differences. Parents of non-white children reported paying less in annual out-of-pocket expenses compared to parents of white children across waves and groups. DDD estimates did not provide evidence that the mandates had statistically significant effects on improving or worsening racial disparities for any outcome measure."

According to the news editors, the research concluded: "This study did not find evidence that state mandates on private insurers affected racial disparities in outcomes for children with autism."

For more information on this research see: Do Insurance Mandates Affect Racial Disparities in Outcomes for Children with Autism? Maternal and Child Health Journal, 2017;21(2):351-366. Maternal and Child Health Journal can be contacted at: Springer, Plenum Publishers, 233 Spring St, New York, NY 10013, USA. (Springer - www.springer.com; Maternal and Child Health Journal - www.springerlink.com/content/1092-7875/)

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting N. Payakachat, University of Arkansas, Dept. of Pharm Practice, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States. Additional authors for this research include J.M. Tilford, S. Ounpraseuth, D.Z. Kuo and N. Payakachat (see also Developmental Diseases and Conditions - Autism).

Keywords for this news article include: Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, North and Central America, Developmental Diseases and Conditions, Developmental Disabilities, Neurology, Autism, University of Arkansas.