Prevalence and Economic Burden of Autism Spectrum Disorder in South Korea Using National Health Insurance Data from 2008 to 2015.

Hong et al. (2020) counted every autism case paid by South Korea’s national health plan. They tracked the same seven years, 2008 to 2015, and added up the money spent.

The team looked at insurance claims, not school files. They wanted to know how many people got the diagnosis and how much the country paid.

Autism prevalence doubled. Costs more than tripled. The bill rose faster than the headcount.

In plain numbers, the rate went from 5 to 11 cases per 100,000, while total spending jumped from $2.7 million to $9.6 million.

Davidovitch et al. (2020) saw the same doubling in Israel. Both countries show the climb keeps going, no matter the year or continent.

Raz et al. (2015) once found Israel’s surge slowed after 2004. Korea’s later data say the pause was temporary; the line went up again.

Pinborough-Zimmerman et al. (2012) caught a similar doubling in Utah kids using school and health files. Korea proves the trend holds when you look only at medical bills.

Saloner et al. (2019) show why money shoots up: when Kansas forced insurers to cover autism, outpatient visits doubled. Korea’s national data echo that local spike.

Your caseload is growing, and so is the price tag. Use these facts when you ask for more staff, longer sessions, or better rates. Point to Korea: twice as many clients, triple the cost. Show that early, intense ABA can cut later spending. Push for funding now, before the gap gets wider.