Access For All

No one with type 1 diabetes should be left behind

At Breakthrough T1D, we envision a Canada where no person with type 1 diabetes (T1D) faces gaps in access to the medications, devices, and technologies they need to live healthy lives.

Over the last several years, our community has helped drive remarkable progress. In 2018, at least 71% of Canadians living with T1D faced gaps in public coverage for insulin pumps and/or continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). Through sustained advocacy by people living with T1D, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and Breakthrough T1D supporters, that gap has fallen to just 11%.

That’s real progress.

But for the thousands of Canadians who still cannot access the diabetes technology they need, progress isn’t enough.

Our goal is zero.

Until every person with T1D can access the therapies, devices, and technology that support better health and quality of life, our work continues.

Why access matters

Type 1 diabetes is a relentless, 24/7 autoimmune disease. Managing it requires constant decisions about insulin, food, activity, and blood glucose levels.

Today’s diabetes technologies – including insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), and automated insulin delivery (AID) systems – help reduce the daily burden of T1D while improving health outcomes. Yet access to these technologies remains uneven across Canada. Thousands of Canadians are still prevented from accessing the standard of care because of outdated policies, arbitrary eligibility rules, funding gaps, and administrative barriers.

That’s why Breakthrough T1D works with governments, healthcare professionals, industry partners, and people with lived experience to remove barriers and improve access nationwide.

Our focus in 2026: Ontario and Quebec

While we advocate for equitable access across Canada, our primary focus in 2026 is closing critical gaps affecting people with T1D, which at present are largest in Ontario and Quebec.

Ontario: Modernize access to insulin pumps and diabetes technology

Ontario was once a leader in diabetes device coverage. However, the province’s insulin pump funding program has not kept pace with advances in diabetes care or the real cost of living with T1D.

Breakthrough T1D and more than 150 Ontario healthcare providers are calling on the Ontario government to:

• Increase insulin pump supply funding so that reimbursement reflects the actual cost of essential supplies. Current funding has remained unchanged while costs have increased substantially.
• Eliminate outdated eligibility barriers that delay access to insulin pumps, including requirements that force people to remain on less effective therapies before qualifying.
• Expand access to CGMs and automated insulin delivery systems, which have become the standard of care for many people with T1D.
• Reduce red tape and modernize application processes so people can access life-changing technology more easily.

Quebec: Expand insulin pump coverage for adults

In Quebec, many adults living with T1D remain ineligible for publicly funded insulin pumps solely because of their age at diagnosis. Despite a recommendation from the Quebec government supporting expanded access, significant coverage gaps remain.

Breakthrough T1D is calling on the Quebec government to:

• Extend public insulin pump coverage to adults living with T1D.
• End age-based inequities that leave some adults without access to technology available to others.
• Ensure that access to diabetes technology is determined by need—not by age, timing, or arbitrary eligibility rules.