Despite national efforts to expand access to opioid use disorder (OUD) medications, Black and Hispanic patients remain less likely to receive buprenorphine compared to white patients, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open. Among over 164,000 patients tracked from 2017 to 2022, the probability of receiving buprenorphine was 20.5% for white patients, but only 17.1% for Black patients and 16.2% for Hispanic patients.
“These disparities persist,” said Dr. Utsha G. Khatri of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who led the study. “Continued efforts to reduce these disparities, through both targeted clinical practices and policy reform, are essential.”
The study also found that patients with Medicaid or Medicare Advantage were more likely to receive buprenorphine than those with commercial insurance. Dr. Sarah Wakeman of Massachusetts General Hospital called this “a surprising finding,” noting that Medicaid patients often fare worse in other areas of care. She suggested the results may reflect progress in expanding access to medications for opioid use disorder among Medicaid recipients.
Still, the study had limitations. Race and ethnicity data in insurance claims may be incomplete, and methadone use—more common among minority patients—was not fully captured due to underreporting. With overdose deaths rising among racial and ethnic minorities, the findings underscore the urgency of equitable access. “This is an argument for the importance of Medicaid expansion,” Wakeman added.
See: “Disparities in Access to Opioid Use Disorder Medications Persist” (June 27, 2025)
