Power outages can threaten the lives of medical device users – knowing who is most at risk will help cities respond

Researchers analyzing data from more than 2,600 households identified four distinct groups of medical device users facing power outages, with the most vulnerable being low-income urban renters who struggle to pay electricity bills and lack backup power resources. That smallest group—roughly 7% of medical device households and disproportionately Black or Hispanic—experienced utility disconnection notices at rates near 58% annually and faced life-threatening risks when outages lasted longer than the 3-to-8 hour battery life of devices like oxygen concentrators and CPAP machines. Power outages have grown 9% more frequent and lasted 56% longer between 2014 and 2023, driven by severe weather and climate-related events, with major blackouts historically producing a 25% rise in disease-related deaths. Communities are deploying targeted solutions including automatic enrollment of medical device users during doctor visits and portable battery programs run by utilities in states like California. As federal low-income energy assistance programs face cuts, states and cities must increasingly direct aid toward the highest-risk households to prevent medical emergencies during extended outages.