COVID-19 risk: Adult Medicaid beneficiaries with autism, intellectual disability, and mental health conditions
Authors: Schott Whitney , Tao Sha , Shea Lindsay 
Published: August 2021

Adults on the autism spectrum and those with intellectual disability or mental health conditions may be at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 or experiencing more severe illness if infected. We identified risk factors for COVID-19 among adults enrolled in Medicaid with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, intellectual disability, or mental health conditions. We examined adults ages 20–64 years with 9-month continuous enrollment over 2008–2012 using Medicaid Analytic eXtract data. There were 83,150 autistic adults and 615,607 adults with intellectual disability meeting inclusion criteria; of a random sample of 1 million beneficiaries without autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disability, 35.3% had any mental health condition. Beneficiaries on the spectrum, those with intellectual disability, and those with mental health conditions all had higher odds of risk factors for becoming infected with COVID-19 (living in a residential facility, receiving services in the home from outside caregivers, having had a long hospitalization, and having had avoidable hospitalizations) and higher odds of comorbidities associated with severe illness from COVID-19. Clinicians should anticipate high prevalence of comorbidities and risk factors for severe illness from COVID-19 among these populations. Health officials and non-governmental organizations should target these groups with outreach for the COVID-19 vaccine and support continued efforts for appropriate mitigation measures.

Lay abstract

Autistic adults, adults with intellectual disability, and adults with other mental health conditions may have higher risk of contracting COVID-19 or experiencing more severe illness from COVID-19 if infected. We used data from Medicaid to look at whether autistic adults and other adults with intellectual disability and other mental health conditions were more likely to have risk factors for COVID-19, such as living in a residential facility, receiving services regularly in the home from outside caregivers, having had a long hospitalization, having had avoidable hospitalizations, and having high-risk health conditions. We found that autistic adults had higher odds of living in a residential facility, receiving in-home services from outside caregivers, having had an avoidable hospitalization, and having a high-risk health condition, compared to neurotypical adults without mental health conditions. Adults with intellectual disability had similar odds of having these conditions. Adults with other mental health conditions were also more likely to live in a residential facility, receive services from outside caregivers, and have had avoidable hospitalizations compared to the neurotypical population without mental health conditions. They had three times higher odds of having a high-risk health condition. High risk of COVID-19 among autistic adults and adults with intellectual disability and mental health conditions should be recognized by clinicians, and these groups should be prioritized for vaccine outreach.