People With Autism Have Shorter Life Expectancy

TUESDAY, Sept. 15, 2026 (HealthDay News) — People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) covered by Medicaid have a shorter life expectancy than the general population, according to a study published online Sept. 10 in JAMA Network Open.

Guohua Li, Dr.P.H., M.D., from the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in New York City, and colleagues used the enhanced Medicaid data system to calculate life expectancy and to identify causes of death associated with excess mortality among beneficiaries with ASD. The analysis included 2.05 million identified individuals from 2000 to 2020.

The researchers found that life expectancy at birth for Medicaid beneficiaries with ASD was 64.9 years, which was 5.6 years shorter than for the overall Medicaid population and 13.8 years shorter than for the U.S. general population. Across sex and racial and ethnic groups, estimates were similar. During the study period, life expectancy among Medicaid beneficiaries with ASD increased by 1.7 years (from 63.9 years in 2000-2004 to 65.6 years in 2015-2019). Despite this increase, the gap versus the broader Medicaid population and the U.S. general population remained. Compared with other Medicaid beneficiaries, Medicaid beneficiaries with ASD had a 44 percent higher mortality risk. This excess mortality occurred across most categories of diseases and health conditions, with particularly elevated risk from influenza, malnutrition, pneumonitis, nontransport accidents, drowning, and pneumonia. Women with ASD experienced a greater life expectancy deficit than men with autism largely due to higher rates of psychiatric comorbidities and associated excess mortality.

“The good news is that much of the excess mortality among people with ASD is avoidable through improved social support, primary care, and home- and community-based services,” Li said in a statement.

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