Impact of COVID-19 in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Analysis of a National Private Claims Insurance Database

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a detrimental impact on individuals with disabilities. Data from FAIR Health’s FH® NPIC (National Private Insurance Claims) database, ¹ one of the nation’s largest databases of private insurance claim records, were analyzed to understand the experiences of individuals with ASD in COVID-19 pandemic. Multivariate logistic regression models revealed that individuals with ASD + ID were nine times more likely to be hospitalized (OR = 9.3; 95% CI: 6.9 – 12.5) and were nearly six times more likely have an elevated length of hospital stay(OR = 5.9; 95% CI: 3.5 – 10.1) compared those without ASD + ID. These findings point to their need for prioritization in access to vaccines for preventing COVID-19 infection and morbidities.