Actual increases in healthcare costs and utilization after the autism insurance mandate

Background: Despite the many cost projections, there is no study in the literature on the actual costs of the new autism insurance mandate, which mandates private insurers cover services for autism spectrum disorders. Needless to say no studies exist that exam the differential actual effects on patients who are covered by versus those who are exempted from the mandate.  This study will fill in this gap by studying the actual cost increases and healthcare utilizations and exploring the differential actual effects by coverage status, based on a large private insurer’s most recent data after the insurance mandate.