December 2023 eNews

Insights on EZBenefits from our Executive Vice-President, Group Insurance

When it comes to advising small business owners, it can be tough to find the right group benefits solution. Offering a competitive benefits plan is more important than ever to help small business owners attract and retain talent. They need an affordable solution that’s easy to implement, renew and maintain.

That’s why we launched EZBenefits for small business earlier this year. It’s a unique group benefits solution designed with you and your small business clients in mind.

Marc Avaria, Executive Vice-President, Group Insurance, explains:

Find out more

Visit info.equitable.ca/EZBenefits for more details or to request a quote. If you have questions, contact your Equitable Group Account Executive.

Supporting plan members through cold and flu season with Dialogue Virtual Healthcare*

Now that cold and flu season is here, many Canadians will start calling in sick or missing work to visit their doctor – if they can get an appointment. Now’s the time to remind your clients that Equitable offers Dialogue Virtual Healthcare. It can be added to any Equitable plan for an additional cost.

Eligible plan members and dependants receive fast, on-demand access to virtual primary medical care—24/7, 365 days a year. Available for a variety of non-urgent health concerns, Dialogue Virtual Healthcare can make it easier to navigate cold and flu season by providing:

Access to the largest, most experienced bilingual medical team in Canada,
In-app prescription renewals and refills,
Personalized follow-ups after each consultation, and
An all-in-one patient journey to address health issues. This reduces long waits and means less time away for doctor appointments.

Benefits of Virtual Healthcare for plan sponsors

When your clients provide Virtual Healthcare for their plan members, they can help:

Drive employee engagement;
Reduce absenteeism related to in-person medical appointments;
Manage chronic health issues;
Attract and retain top talent; and
Build a healthier workforce.

Learn how it works

Adding Dialogue Virtual Healthcare to your clients' plans

To learn more about adding Virtual Healthcare to your clients’ benefits plans, contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex^® Account Executive. You can also share this resource from Dialogue on managing cold and flu season.

Changes to Short-Term Disability benefits calculations*

The Canada Employment Insurance Commission and Canada Revenue Agency have announced the 2024 changes to Maximum Insurable Earnings, and premiums for employment insurance. The following changes to Employment Insurance (EI) will take effect January 1, 2024:

How does this affect your clients?

To comply with client policy provisions, Equitable will revise Short-Term Disability (STD) benefits with the updated maximums based on the percentage of EI Maximum Weekly Insurance Earnings for policies that meet these conditions:

Policies that include a STD benefit that is tied to the EI Maximum Weekly Insurable Earnings, and
Policies with a classification of employees that has less than a $668 maximum.
The additional premium for any increase from their previous STD amounts and new STD amounts will be shown on your clients’ January 2024 Group Insurance Billings (as applicable).

If a client’s STD maximum is currently higher than $668 or based on a flat amount (not based on a percentage or regular earnings), no change will be made to their plan unless otherwise directed.

If your clients wish to provide direction regarding revising their STD maximum, or have questions about the process, they can email Kari Gough, Manager, Group Issue and Special Projects.

*Indicates content that will be shared with your clients.