The director of the National Institutes of Health previously floated — then walked back — the idea of an autism registry, alarming researchers and parents.

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 Wednesday to use medical data and records from people on Medicaid and Medicare to help study autism although experts say it's unlikely to help reveal the condition's root causes.