April 2024 eNews

In this issue:

• Competitive – and easy – benefits plans for your small business clients
• Simplifying benefits enrolment for your clients*
• NEW time-off tracking tool from HRdownloads*
• Focus on benefits fraud: Protecting your clients’ plans from abuse*

*Indicates content that will be shared with your clients who receive these benefits.
 

Competitive – and easy – benefits plans for your small business clients

Supporting your small business clients can be a challenge. It’s tough to find a competitively-priced benefits plan with the features they want. Small business owners may also need more of your time – especially if this is their first benefits plan.
 
That’s why we created Equitable EZBenefits™, a benefits solution designed with the needs of small businesses in mind. With a range of plan design options and valuable embedded services for plan sponsors and plan members, EZBenefits is available for groups with 2 to 25 employees. And to make things simpler for you, we’ve created an Advisor Concierge Service exclusively for EZBenefits. Whether you have a question about submitting a quote request for a new client or an issue with an in-force client, our Concierge Service is your go-to resource for EZBenefits support.  

Don’t have any EZBenefits clients yet?

To learn more about EZBenefits, watch our video to learn more or view our brochure.

Simplifying benefits enrolment for your clients*

Navigating the benefits enrolment period can be overwhelming – for you, your clients and their employees. It’s difficult to ensure all plan members complete the necessary paperwork before the enrolment deadline. 

That’s why we offer our secure Online Plan Member Enrolment tool at no extra cost to plan sponsors. The tool simplifies the onboarding process for your clients and their plan members by eliminating the need for paper enrolment forms.
 
It also makes enrolment faster and easier for your clients by:

• Reducing errors and rework that can occur due to spelling mistakes or missing information on paper forms; and
• Sending automatic enrolment reminders to plan members, resulting in fewer late applicants. 

Our user-friendly interface allows plan members to:

• Enrol in their benefits plan in just minutes from their computer or mobile device;
• Easily enter all their enrolment information, including dependent details, banking information for direct deposit of claim payments and details for coordination of benefits; and
• Designate their beneficiary electronically. 

Ready to share our Online Plan Enrolment Tool with your clients? Get them started with these helpful resources:

• Online Plan Member Enrolment Flyer for Plan Administrators
• Online Plan Member Enrolment Quick Reference Guide for Plan Administrators
• Quick Reference Guide for Plan Members

To learn more about how Online Plan Member Enrolment can simplify benefits enrolment for your clients, contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Account Executive.

NEW time-off tracking tool from HRdownloads*

Through our partnership with HRdownloads®, EZBenefits clients now have complimentary access to Timetastic —a time-off tracking tool that can make it easier to manage employee vacation time, sick days and more.
 
Timetastic integrates seamlessly with HRdownloads and includes a mobile app to help manage time-off requests from any mobile device.
 
To see Timetastic in action, check out this demo.
 
EZBenefits also includes other helpful resources and tools from HRdownloads that can make daily human resources tasks easier, including:

• A robust, award-winning HR management platform (HRIS);
• HR documents, templates, compliance resources and articles; and
• A live HR advice helpline. 

All of our other Equitable group benefits clients can get a 10% discount on HRdownloads services. Visit the link below or contact your Account Executive for more information.

Learn more about accessing HRdownloads.

Focus on benefits fraud: protecting your clients’ plans from abuse*

According to the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA), benefits fraud costs insurers and plan sponsors millions of dollars each year, which can lead to increased premium costs.
 

Resources for your clients

Both plan administrators and plan members play a role in preventing benefits abuse. So, we’ve compiled some resources you can share with your clients to help them understand what benefits fraud is and how to prevent it:

• CLHIA’s free 15-minute Protect Your Benefits online course for plan administrators and their members
• CLHIA’s Fraud is Fraud program, including their FAQs on benefits fraud
• Our online guide to benefits abuse
• Tips for plan administrators and plan members to protect their plan 

Encourage your clients to educate their plan members about the potential consequences of benefits fraud, including losing their benefits, losing their job and even jail time. 

How we’re fighting benefits fraud

Our Investigative Claims Unit (ICU) works to detect and eliminate benefits fraud. We use a variety of investigative techniques, including CLHIA-led industry tools to detect and eliminate benefits fraud: 

• Joint Provider Fraud Investigation Program: A robust program that allows insurers to collaborate on fraud investigations that affect multiple insurers;
• Data Pooling Program: An initiative that pools data between insurers and uses advanced artificial intelligence to further identify and reduce benefits fraud; and
• Provider Alert Registry: A registry that allows insurers to view the results of other insurers’ anti-fraud investigations into specific practitioners. 

To learn more about benefits fraud and Equitable’s commitment to protecting our benefits plans, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Account Executive.