Medicaid is important for autistic people and their family members. Yet, we know that autistic people and their families face difficulties navigating the process to enroll in Medicaid and then accessing the services Medicaid covers. While there are many publications that explain basic facts about Medicaid, and information about Medicaid for autistic individuals, few focus on the how autistic people use this public insurance or on what services Medicaid covers for children, youth, and adults on the autism spectrum. This Policy Insight report on Medicaid and autism explores these topics using data from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) from 2008-2016.

This is the first report in the Autism Institutes’ new Policy Insight series of National Autism Indicators Reports. The user-friendly series will deliver statistics about policy-relevant issues pertinent to the lives of autistic people and those with other developmental disabilities.