By Ahmed Aboulenein and Sriparna Roy WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Federal health agencies will create a database of autism patients enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid that researchers will use to study the causes of autism spectrum disorder,

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a plan to use medical data and records from people on Medicaid and Medicare to help study autism.

The National Institutes of Health will partner with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid to create a database of Americans with autism, using insurance claims, medical records and smartwatch data.