Introduction
Expanding access to medications for opioid use disorder is a cornerstone to addressing
the opioid overdose epidemic. However, recent research suggests that the distribution
of medications for opioid use disorder has been inequitable. This study analyzes the
racial‒ethnic disparities in the receipt of medications for opioid use disorder among
Medicaid patients diagnosed with opioid use disorder.
Methods
Medicaid claims data from the Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System
for the years 2017–2019 were used for the analysis. Logistic regression models estimated
the odds of receiving buprenorphine and Vivitrol within 180 days after initial opioid
use disorder diagnosis on the basis of race‒ethnicity. Analysis was conducted in 2022.
Results
Non-Hispanic Black people, non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaskan Native/Asian/Hawaiian/Pacific
Islander people, and Hispanic people had 42%, 12%, and 22% lower odds of buprenorphine
receipt and 47%, 12%, and 20% lower odds of Vivitrol receipt, respectively, than non-Hispanic
White people, controlling for clinical and demographic patient variables.
Conclusions
This study suggests that there are racial‒ethnic disparities in the receipt of buprenorphine
and Vivitrol among Medicaid patients diagnosed with opioid use disorder after adjusting
for demographic, geographic, and clinical characteristics. The potential strategies
to address these disparities include expanding the workforce of providers who can
prescribe medications for opioid use disorder in low-income communities and communities
of color and allocating resources to address the stigma in medications for opioid
use disorder treatment.
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: July 05, 2022
Publication stage
In Press Journal Pre-ProofIdentification
Copyright
Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
