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Equitable Life Group Benefits Bulletin – March 2022
In this issue:
- CLHIA launches industry anti-fraud initiative*
- Provincial biosimilar update*
- Quebec decreasing insurance premium tax*
- Coming soon: A survey to understand how we can better serve your clients’ needs*
- Remind your clients’ plan members in BC, Manitoba and Saskatchewan to register for Pharmacare *
CLHIA launches industry anti-fraud initiative*
In February, the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA) announced a new anti-fraud initiative that is using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to further identify and reduce benefits fraud.
Equitable Life is excited to be a part of this important initiative. It will enhance our own fraud detection analytics by using AI to connect the dots across a huge pool of anonymized claims data. This will lead to more investigations and actions to mitigate the impact of fraud on your clients’ plans.
The initiative is being led by the CLHIA and member insurers and is supported by technology provider Shift Technologies. It will be further rolled-out and expanded over the next three years.
Benefits fraud affects more than just insurers. The costs of fraud are felt by employers and their employees as well. We are looking forward to being able to better identify and reduce benefits fraud.
Provincial biosimilar update*
BC expands its biosimilar initiative
BC Pharmacare recently announced it is adding two rapid-acting insulins to the list of drugs included in its ongoing initiative to switch patients to biosimilar versions of high-cost biologics. Patients taking Humalog or NovoRapid for Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes will be required to switch to a biosimilar version of the drugs by May 29, 2022 to maintain coverage under the public plan.
Biologics are drugs that are engineered using living organisms like yeast and bacteria. The first version of a biologic developed is also known as the “originator” biologic. Biosimilars are also biologics. They are highly similar to the originator biologic drugs they are based on, and Health Canada considers them to be equally safe and effective for approved conditions.
How we are responding to protect our clients
To help prevent this change from resulting in additional costs for our clients’ drug plans while still providing plan members with access to safe and effective medications, we will no longer cover Humalog or NovoRapid for plan members in BC. Effective June 1, 2022, claimants currently taking Humalog or NovoRapid will be required to switch to a biosimilar version of the drugs to maintain coverage under their Equitable Life plan and their BC Pharmacare plan.
We will be communicating this change to plan administrators later this week. And we will be communicating with affected claimants in early April to allow ample time to change their prescription and avoid any interruptions in their treatment or their coverage.
If you have any questions about this change, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager.
Nova Scotia and Northwest Territories introduce biosimilar initiatives
The governments of Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories each recently announced they are launching biosimilar initiatives to switch patients from certain originator biologic drugs to biosimilar versions of the drugs.
Patients in Nova Scotia using affected originator biologic drugs will have until February 2023 to switch to a biosimilar version of their medications in order to maintain coverage under the province’s public drug plans. Patients in the Northwest Territories will have until June 20, 2022, to switch.
Equitable Life® actively monitors and investigates all biosimilar policy changes and the ongoing evolution of biosimilar drugs entering Canada. We will keep you informed of any impact on private drug plans and how we are responding.
Quebec decreasing insurance premium tax*
The Quebec Government has announced that it plans to decrease its Insurance Premium Tax rates effective April 1, 2022. The premium tax rates for group life and accident and sickness insurance are expected to decrease from 3.48% to 3.3%. The new tax rates will be applied to premiums for the billing period beginning on or after April 1, 2022.
Coming soon: A survey to understand how we can better serve your clients’ needs*
We are committed to providing your clients and their plan members with industry-leading service. We’ve introduced several enhancements over the past year to make it easier to do business with us. And we’re continually looking for ways to improve.
In the coming weeks, we will conduct a survey of your clients to help us understand how we can better serve them. On March 28, we will send plan administrators an email with a link to the survey. The survey will remain open until the end of the day on April 11 and will take between five and 10 minutes to complete. Please encourage your clients to participate. Their feedback will be confidential, and their responses will help us improve our service and ensure we’re meeting their expectations. We may also follow up with plan administrators directly to address any concerns they’ve identified.
We know your clients’ time is valuable. So, each plan administrator who completes the survey will be entered into a random draw for a chance to win one of 25 prepaid gift cards for $25.
Remind your clients’ plan members in BC, Manitoba and Saskatchewan to register for Pharmacare*
If your clients have plan members in British Columbia, Manitoba or Saskatchewan, the provincial government offers a Pharmacare program to support prescription drug costs. Plan members in these provinces must register for their provincial Pharmacare program to maintain coverage under their Equitable Life drug plan.
Registration is easy! We will send two registration reminder messages directly to plan members’ pharmacists and post them on their Explanation of Benefits. We’ve also created a step-by-step guide that your clients can share with their plan members.
English version
French version
For more information about the provincial Pharmacare programs, including how plan members can register, please visit:
For British Columbia residents: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/health-drug-coverage/pharmacare-for-bc-residents
For Manitoba residents: https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/pharmacare/apply.html
For Saskatchewan residents: https://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/health/prescription-drug-plans-and-health-coverage/extended-benefits-and%20drug-plan/drug-cost-assistance#eligibility
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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*
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.
- 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.
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
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.
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