Australia already subsidises continuous glucose monitoring and insulin pump consumables for people with type 1 diabetes. For many people, the missing component is affordable pump hardware.
The diabetes sector has published a staged, manufacturer-neutral proposal to subsidise insulin pumps through the NDSS for 38,000 priority Australians with type 1 diabetes between 2027 and 2030.
This campaign is asking the Australian Government to formally assess that proposal and return an implementation-ready recommendation by 30 November 2026, enabling consideration through the 2027–28 Federal Budget process.
145,000
Australians estimated to be living with type 1 diabetes
Fewer than 20%
were using AID at the time of the 2024 national consensus statement
38,000
priority Australians included in the published staged proposal
$299M
estimated net Commonwealth cost from 2027 to 2030
$298.95 million in sector modelling, subject to independent government validation
people under 21
socioeconomic disadvantage
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
pregnant or planning pregnancy
THE ASK
Assess the 38,000-person proposal by 30 November 2026
Direct the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing to formally assess the published, manufacturer-neutral insulin pump subsidy proposal for 38,000 priority Australians with type 1 diabetes and return an implementation-ready recommendation by 30 November 2026, enabling consideration through the 2027–28 Federal Budget process.
Important: This is not a request for an immediate universal rollout. It is a request for a formal, time-bound government assessment of an existing published and costed sector proposal.
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Understanding AID
What is automated insulin delivery?
Automated insulin delivery (AID) combines a continuous glucose monitor, an insulin pump and an algorithm. The algorithm reads glucose data from the CGM and automatically adjusts insulin delivery through the pump, reducing the need for constant manual decisions about dosing.
For many people with type 1 diabetes who wish to use it and are clinically suitable, AID can reduce mental load, improve time in range and provide greater confidence, particularly overnight.
AID is not suitable for every person with type 1 diabetes. Clinical suitability, personal preference and access to education and support all play a role in technology decisions.
Why pump hardware affordability matters
Australia subsidises CGM sensors and insulin pump consumables through the NDSS. However, the pump hardware itself has no comparable broad national affordability pathway. A pump commonly costs around $7,000 to $10,000 and generally requires replacement every four years.
For many adults with type 1 diabetes, accessing pump hardware depends on private health insurance with top-tier hospital cover, or paying thousands of dollars upfront. The Australian Government has acknowledged that insulin pumps can improve glucose management and quality of life, but has not committed to broader subsidised access.
Pump hardware cost is the principal national affordability barrier, alongside workforce, education, service access and clinical suitability considerations.
The published proposal
A staged proposal for 38,000 priority Australians
The diabetes sector has published a staged, manufacturer-neutral proposal to subsidise insulin pumps through the NDSS. The proposal:
- 1 would operate from 2027 to 2030
- 2 would use existing NDSS infrastructure
- 3 is manufacturer-neutral
- 4 includes workforce support
- 5 includes formal evaluation
- 6 has an estimated net Commonwealth cost of $298.95 million over four years
- 7 would prioritise four groups
- 8 includes separate longer-term modelling projecting $3.33 in societal benefits for every dollar invested from 2027 to 2066
- 9 requires independent government validation of both cost and benefit estimates
Initial priority groups:
- 1 people under 21
- 2 people experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage
- 3 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- 4 people who are pregnant or planning pregnancy
The Department should also consider whether a clinical-risk pathway is needed for people outside these four initial groups.
Implementation pathway
A practical pathway to delivery
Step 1
Ministerial direction
Direct the Department to formally assess the published proposal with a return date of 30 November 2026.
Step 2
Departmental validation
Confirm eligibility, expected uptake, financial assumptions, pricing scenarios and procurement options.
Step 3
Lived-experience and clinical consultation
Include people with type 1 diabetes, endocrinologists, credentialled diabetes educators, health economists and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations.
Step 4
Pricing and procurement
Negotiate value-based pricing while preserving sufficient clinically appropriate device choice.
Step 5
Workforce readiness
Fund structured onboarding, diabetes educator support, national guidance, regional delivery and telehealth options.
Step 6
Budget consideration
Return an implementation-ready recommendation for the 2027–28 Federal Budget process.
Step 7
Independent evaluation
Measure access, equity, clinical outcomes, acute events, quality of life, workforce effects, sustained use and actual expenditure.
Continuity of care
The transition from paediatric to adult care
Some financially disadvantaged young people can access a pump through the Insulin Pump Program, but eligibility ends at age 21. There is no equivalent broad national affordability pathway for adults.
A person’s clinical need does not disappear when they move into adult care. A staged national subsidy should improve continuity and prevent age 21 becoming a financial access cliff.
Why I am advocating
My story
I was 17, just weeks before starting university, when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Since then, I have given myself thousands of insulin injections.
Continuous glucose monitoring changed my life and gave my family a greater sense of safety, but CGM is only half the story. Automated insulin delivery can reduce some of the relentless decisions that type 1 diabetes demands.
People who wish to use AID and are clinically suitable should be able to consider it with their healthcare team. They should not be ruled out because they cannot afford suitable private insurance or thousands of dollars upfront.
“This is safety technology, and access should be based on clinical need, not income.”
“Australia has funded CGM and the consumables. The next step is an affordable pathway to the pump.”
Australian evidence behind the campaign
Published sector proposal · 2026
Staged NDSS pump subsidy for 38,000 priority Australians, with an estimated net Commonwealth cost of $298.95 million over four years.
AID consensus statement · July 2024
AID recognised as standard of care for people with type 1 diabetes who wish to use it and are clinically suitable. Fewer than 20% were using it at the time of publication.
Australian Government response · 2026
The Government acknowledged that insulin pumps can improve glucose management and quality of life, but did not commit to broader subsidised access.
Burnside et al. · 2025
AID use was associated with a 66% lower acute hospital admission rate in a Western Australian paediatric cohort. This was an observational study and should not be directly extrapolated to adults.
Lee et al. · 2026
Pump uptake remained flat in a young-adult clinic despite improved access to CGM, with hardware cost remaining a major barrier.
Read et al. · 2023
Sixty-eight per cent of pump users cited affordability as a barrier, and more than 85% reported improved emotional wellbeing with technology.
Government pack and media brief
GOVERNMENT AND MEDIA BRIEF
Australia subsidises CGM and pump consumables, but many people still cannot afford the pump
Two-page media brief, version 2.7, July 2026
PDF · Two pages · Ready to share with politicians and journalists
Campaign toolkit and social assets
📷
Instagram square 1
Australia subsidises CGM and pump consumables. Why is there still no broad affordable pathway to the pump?
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Instagram square 2
Fewer than 20% were using AID. A published proposal would support 38,000 priority Australians with type 1 diabetes.
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Quote card
“This is safety technology, and access should be based on clinical need, not income.” — Philip Hall
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Deadline card
THE ASK: Assess the 38,000-person pump subsidy proposal by 30 November 2026.
Clinic poster
Help make insulin pumps and automated insulin delivery more affordable
Scan to create a personal email to your MP or the Health Minister.
Help create a respectful groundswell
The Australian Government has acknowledged that insulin pumps can improve glucose management and quality of life, but has not yet committed to broader subsidised access. A stronger public voice is now needed. This campaign asks people with type 1 diabetes, families, carers, clinicians and supporters to share their own lived experience with their local MP and the Minister for Health.
This is not about copying a campaign line. It is about telling real stories: what diabetes technology has changed, what barriers remain, and why access should be based on clinical need, equity and lived burden rather than income, insurance status, age or postcode.
If you already have access to CGM, looping or AID, your voice still matters. You may not be asking for more for yourself. You may be asking for others to have the same chance.
“Australia subsidises continuous glucose monitoring and pump consumables for people with type 1 diabetes, but many people still cannot afford the pump hardware required for automated insulin delivery. The diabetes sector has published a staged proposal to subsidise pumps for 38,000 priority Australians. We are asking the Australian Government to formally assess it and return an implementation-ready recommendation by 30 November 2026. This is safety technology. Access should be based on clinical need, not income or private insurance. Create a personal email to your MP or the Health Minister.”
Transparency and disclosure
Smart Diabetes Living’s advocacy is independent, lived-experience led and manufacturer-neutral. Philip Hall receives no personal payment from device manufacturers or pharmaceutical companies. Insulet provided travel and logistical support for him to attend advocacy activities in Canberra in 2025. Insulet did not direct, approve or control this campaign, its policy position, wording or recommendations. The proposal supported by this campaign is not tied to any one device company. It supports clinically appropriate choice and access based on need, equity and lived burden.
A separate diabetes technology equity issue
CGM access for other insulin-treated groups
Access to subsidised CGM for people with insulin-treated Type 2 diabetes, Type 3c diabetes and gestational diabetes remains an important equity issue. It requires its own evidence base, policy request and government process.
This campaign page focuses specifically on the type 1 diabetes insulin pump and automated insulin delivery affordability gap.
