Today’s episode critically analyses a 2025 statistical brief from the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality concerning the “cost of autism.” The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, argues that this brief, though seemingly neutral data, subtly reintroduces eugenic logics and austerity politics, framing autism primarily as an economic liability rather than a human experience. By narrowly defining “treated autism” and focusing on healthcare expenditures, the brief is seen as a tool for policy retreat and a justification for potentially restricting access to services. Dr. Hoerricks connects this contemporary approach to historical eugenics movements and the neoliberal “audit culture,” where human value is quantified, and care is contingent on cost-benefit analysis, ultimately leading to the quiet rationing of disabled lives and the erasure of autistic individuals from the institutional record.
Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/from-cold-spring-harbor-to-rfk-jr
Let me know what you think.
The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.
