US Health department will analyze data from autistic Medicare, Medicaid enrollees, RFK Jr. says

By AMANDA SEITZ WASHINGTON AP Wellness Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr publicized a plan Wednesday to use medicinal material and records from people on Medicaid and Medicare to help assessment autism although experts say it s unlikely to help reveal the condition s root causes Related Articles Federal Reserve leaves key rate unchanged flags a hazard of higher prices and unemployment FAA fixing problems at Newark airport while planning overhaul of US air traffic control system th US state now facing a measles outbreak Here s what to know In a broken mental robustness system a tiny jail cell becomes an institution of last resort Longtime Santa Cruz County resident and green card holder circulated from ICE custody The initiative will involve a evidence sharing agreement between the National Institutes of Robustness the administration s fitness research arm and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services which has access to insists information from nearly million Americans across the country We re using this partnership to uncover the root causes of autism and other chronic diseases Kennedy declared in a comment The agreement will be consistent with applicable privacy laws to protect Americans sensitive healthcare information the HHS declaration noted The strength department did not respond to additional questions about the venture Using the evidence the agency mentioned researchers will focus on autism identification trends vitality outcomes from medicinal or behavioral outcomes access to care based on demographics and geography as well the economic burden of autism on families and wellbeing care systems The obstacle is that this isn t the kind of content needed to answer questions about autism s causes mentioned Helen Tager-Flusberg professor emerita at Boston University who leads a new Coalition of Autism Scientists pushing back on Kennedy s characterizations of the condition Enough research has been done at this point to know there is no simple magic bullet she announced cautioning that this type of dataset won t help with the type of research preponderance needed into genetics and other prenatal preconception and early infancy factors Kennedy has directed the healthcare department to undertake a far-reaching research effort to identify the causes of autism a complex disorder that impacts the brain Announcing his plans last month Kennedy explained he plans to provide answers as to what causes autism by September He has since stated the department will determine at least particular of the causes His research directive comes as autism rates in the U S are rising with the Centers for Affection Control and Prevention releasing a analysis that an estimated in U S children have autism a marked increase from Scientists and researchers who research autism have mentioned that increase in diagnoses is the product of increased awareness about the disorder especially among people who exhibit milder reactions of autism Kennedy has rejected that explanation in populace appearances instead describing autism as a preventable affection that is caused by environmental factors Autism is not considered a disorder but a complex brain disorder Those who have spent decades researching autism have determined no single cause although genetic factors are associated with it In addition to genetics scientists have identified various workable factors including the age of a child s father the mother s weight and whether she had diabetes or was exposed to certain chemicals Kennedy s comments have sparked alarm among autism researchers who fear he will use the assessment to patronage a discredited theory that vaccines cause autism Kennedy a longtime vaccine critic has pushed that theory before although decades of research has uncovered no link between vaccines and autism President Donald Trump has also suggested that vaccines could be to blame for autism rates The new platform that HHS plans to launch around autism will be a pilot that will be used to inquiry chronic conditions and treatments the agency announced Associated Press writer Lauran Neergaard contributed reporting