Feb 14, 2025, Bloomberg: Autism Treatments Are Among Fastest-Growing US Health-Care Bills
Treatment of autism spectrum disorders is one of the fastest-growing areas of US health spending, according to new analysis published Friday in medical journal JAMA.
The study by researchers at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation covers more than three-quarters of nationwide health spending last decade.
Among the health conditions where more than $5 billion was spent overall, they found that autism had the fastest annual pace of growth, at 13%. It was followed by opioid use disorders at 9%.
Type 2 diabetes was the most expensive single health condition, accounting for total spending of $144 billion. It is followed by musculoskeletal disorders at $109 billion, oral disorders at $93 billion, and ischemic heart disease at $81 billion.
Overall, more than 40% of expenses were for Americans above 65 years old.
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