UnitedHealthcare partnered with Medtronic Feb. 1 to make the device company’s MiniMed 670G insulin pump system its preferred pump for diabetics aged 7 and up—a move the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) calls “an unacceptable step backward” and says effectively limits patients’ choices to one product.

According to a statement, UnitedHealthcare, the largest insurer in the U.S., reached its agreement with Medtronic shortly after the FDA expanded approval for the MiniMed system, extending its benefits to patients as young as 7 years old. The company cited a “rigorous body of clinical trial and real-world data” as the reason it selected the MiniMed as its preferred pump, which means the device will be the only one covered under network plans unless patients obtain an exception.

In the company’s February 2019 bulletin, UnitedHealthcare representatives assured enrollees there will be no change in coverage for members currently using an insulin pump and receiving supplies. Existing pediatric patients using a non-Medtronic pump will be able to remain on that pump in conjunction with their treatment plan, but new members and those receiving a prescription for an insulin pump for the first time will be referred to the MiniMed system.