Redistributing Insulin Pumps for Patients Facing Access Barriers

Insulin pumps are durable, high-cost medical devices that support continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion and automated insulin delivery. Despite their utility, access to insulin pumps in the United States remains uneven across socioeconomic strata, insurance types, and racial and ethnic groups, and is far more limited internationally. Meanwhile, functional pumps accumulate through predictable lifecycle events such as device upgrades, therapy discontinuation, and patient mortality, without a defined pathway for reuse. This commentary contends that coordinated redistribution of functional pumps is an actionable, near-term equity intervention and sustainability strategy, already occurring through nonprofit programs. We outline sources of surplus, the populations most affected by inadequate access, how redistribution can be operationalized safely, and the stakeholder roles and governance needed to implement a pump redistribution pathway.