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  1. Equitable Life awarded seven Fundata FundGrade A+ awards
     
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    Equitable Life® has won seven Fundata FundGrade A+® awards for 2020. The first four funds are currently available on Equitable Life’s Pivotal Select™ fund lineup. The remaining three awarded funds are part of Equitable’s legacy products. These funds are available to existing Equitable Life contracts only.
    • Equitable Life Dynamic Power Global Growth Fund
    • Equitable Life Accumulative Income Fund
    • Equitable Life Common Stock Fund
     
    The annual awards are presented by Fundata Canada Inc. to investment funds that have shown consistent, outstanding, risk-adjusted performance throughout the previous calendar year.
     
    Equitable Life invests for the big picture and offers a complete range of investment and annuity products designed to meet the savings, accumulation and income needs of clients. Our strength as a company along with our many investment guarantees can help your clients achieve their financial goals with confidence.
     
    FundGrade A+® is used with permission from Fundata Canada Inc., all rights reserved. The annual FundGrade A+® Awards are presented by Fundata Canada Inc. to recognize the “best of the best” among Canadian investment funds. The FundGrade A+® calculation is supplemental to the monthly FundGrade ratings and is calculated at the end of each calendar year. The FundGrade rating system evaluates funds based on their risk-adjusted performance, measured by Sharpe Ratio, Sortino Ratio, and Information Ratio. The score for each ratio is calculated individually, covering all time periods from 2 to 10 years. The scores are then weighted equally in calculating a monthly FundGrade. The top 10% of funds earn an A Grade; the next 20% of funds earn a B Grade; the next 40% of funds earn a C Grade; the next 20% of funds receive a D Grade; and the lowest 10% of funds receive an E Grade. To be eligible, a fund must have received a FundGrade rating every month in the previous year. The FundGrade A+® uses a GPA-style calculation, where each monthly FundGrade from “A” to “E” receives a score from 4 to 0, respectively. A fund’s average score for the year determines its GPA. Any fund with a GPA of 3.5 or greater is awarded a FundGrade A+® Award. For more information, see www.FundGradeAwards.com. Although Fundata makes every effort to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained herein, the accuracy is not guaranteed by Fundata.® ”Equitable Life” and “Pivotal Select” are trademarks of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada.
  2. EZcomplete no longer accessible on Internet Explorer
    On February 25, 2021, Equitable Life’s® EZcomplete® e-signature capability, OneSpan, will no longer be accessible using Internet Explorer (IE) browser. This means that advisors and clients should default their browsers to Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari.

    If clients try to e-sign the application in IE, they will be redirected to an error page. Advisors will receive a warning. The warning will confirm that IE is no longer supported. To ensure a smooth EZcomplete experience, advisors should consider changing their browser default.

    If you have any questions about this change, contact your Regional Investment Sales Manager or Life Regional Sales Manager.
     
  3. Equitable Life's COVID-19 Information Page


    Get the latest news and information from Equitable Life by bookmarking this page. Check back often for updates.

     

    Click here for news related to Savings and Retirement.

  4. Equitable Life Savings & Retirement Webinar Series welcomes Equitable Asset Management Group



    In 2021, Equitable Life’s® S&R team will spotlight various aspects of our competitive fund lineup and product offerings. Each webinar in the series will feature a new topic. This series will also give advisors an opportunity to:

    • learn more about various products and product features,
    • hear from industry professionals,
    • learn about investment strategies; and so much more.

    This month, Equitable Life welcomes David Irwin, Director, Portfolio Management and Client Relations, Equitable Life of Canada.

    Please join us to hear David Irwin discuss the state of markets today, what key risks investors are focused on, and how the Equitable Life Active Segregated Fund lineup is positioned.

    Learn More

  5. COVID-19 Vaccinations and your Equitable Life of Canada Insurance Coverage

    Equitable Life of Canada would like to reassure our policyholders that getting vaccinated for COVID-19 will not negatively impact your life or health insurance coverage.

    Being vaccinated for COVID-19 would have no impact on any claim made under an insurance policy or group benefits plan with Equitable Life of Canada. Your Equitable Life policies provide life and health insurance based on the conditions outlined in your contract with us. Our contracts do not include limitations related to adverse reactions to vaccines.

    Equitable Life will continue to follow the guidance and recommendations from the Canadian government to protect the health of Canadians, and we fully support government-approved vaccines as one of the most effective ways to protect yourself from serious illness or death from COVID-19.

  6. Simplified Alternative ID Process is Now Available We have updated form 1710 to help you validate your client’s identification when you are not face-to-face, or if your client does not have one of the primary sources of ID.

    Form 1710, Verification of Identity for Policyowner, will simplify the ID collection process currently in place. This form will help you with the validation of ID and provide you with space to record the details. New with this form is the ability to validate your client’s ID over a video call by documenting the details of the ID, and then having your client hold up the document and read the information for you to validate. You no longer need to obtain and submit copies of the identification documents to Equitable.

    If your client requests the use of the Alternate ID process for a paper application, you can use this form to satisfy your identification validation requirements.
    For more information, please see Section 2 of Form 1710 entitled “Alternate ID”. As well, you can refer to the “how to complete form 1710” Guide for further details.

    Additional resources:
     
  7. Equitable Life Savings & Retirement Webinar Series welcomes Mackenzie Ivy Global Balanced.
    In 2021, Equitable Life’s® S&R team will spotlight various aspects of our competitive fund lineup and product offerings. Each webinar in the series will feature a new topic. This series will also give advisors an opportunity to:
    • learn more about various products and product features,
    • hear from industry professionals,
    • learn about investment strategies; and so much more.
     
    This month, Equitable Life welcomes Mackenzie Investments.
     
    Join your host Joseph Trozzo, Investment Sales Vice President and Matt Moody, Vice President, Portfolio Manager, Mackenzie Ivy Team and Dagmar-Rose Pagel, Product Manager.
     

    Learn More

     
  8. Getting a tax refund is exciting, but should it be?
    Do clients know that when a tax refund is issued, it means they are giving the government an interest-free loan? If a client receives a tax refund, it may mean the client’s employer is withholding too much tax.  Here’s how to change that.

    The client can complete and submit Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) form T1213 (Request to Reduce Tax Deductions at Source).

    The client will indicate which regular deductions and non-refundable tax credits to qualify for. These would include things like regular Registered Retirement Savings Plans contributions, childcare expenses, etc. When approved by the CRA, the client will see more money on every pay. A client might even want to make this request to reduce the tax withheld if a large bonus or vacation pay is anticipated.

    Encourage clients to use the additional cash flow to increase monthly contributions, support a Retirement Savings Plan or Tax-Free Savings Account or repay an investment loan. Increasing savings each year – even by a small amount – can have a substantial impact on retirement savings. For additional questions, contact your Regional Investment Sales Manager.
  9. Important changes are coming to the Equitable Life segregated funds contract.
    Fund changes are coming on June 7, 2021 to Equitable Life’s® segregated fund lineup. These fund changes will appear on the June 2021 semi-annual client statement and will be reflected in the 2021 Pivotal Select™ and Pivotal Solutions Fund Facts.

    Clients holding these funds received a letter in the mail. To view a copy of these letters, refer to the links below.
       
    If you have any questions about these fund changes, please contact your Regional Investment Sales Manager or Advisor Services Team Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET at 1.866.884.7427 or email savingsretirement@equitable.ca
  10. Equitable Life Group Benefits Bulletin - April 2021

    In this issue:

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    Update: Alberta biosimilar coverage changes take effect*

     
    In our November 2020 edition of eNews, we announced we are changing coverage for some biologic drugs in Alberta in response to the province’s Biosimilar Initiative.
     
    As of March 15, 2021, several originator biologic drugs are no longer covered for plan members in Alberta. Plan members taking these biologics are required to switch to the biosimilar versions of these drugs to maintain eligibility under their Equitable Life plan.
     
    Affected drugs and conditions – Remicade remains eligible
    We initially announced that Remicade would be among the biologic drugs no longer covered in Alberta.
    We have since determined a method to maintain ongoing eligibility of Remicade while reducing or eliminating any Coordination of Benefit risk associated with the provincial change. As such, Remicade will continue to be eligible for coverage. 
     
    Communication to plan members and plan sponsors
    We communicated directly with affected claimants in January 2021 to allow them ample time to change their prescriptions and avoid any interruptions in their treatment or their coverage. The transition to biosimilars, when required, has been smooth and continues to be successful.
     
    Plan sponsors were notified even earlier to allow ample time to opt-out of this change. The vast majority have accepted the changes and are benefiting from a smooth plan member transition. 
     
    Looking ahead
    We are one of the few insurers taking a comprehensive and proactive response to the Alberta Biosimilars Initiative. We will continue to monitor developments related to the coverage of biologics in Alberta and other provinces and will continue to take steps to protect your clients’ drug plans.
     
    Questions?
    If you have any questions about this change, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager.
     
     

    New Humira biosimilars approved*

    Beginning in February, Health Canada approved seven new biosimilars for Humira, a biologic drug for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn's disease and many other conditions. Most of these biosimilars have already been launched and are available in pharmacies.
     
    Humira is one of the highest ranked drugs in terms of total annual cost. All the Humira biosimilars are priced 40% lower than Humira and represent a savings opportunity for private drug plans.
     
    BC Pharmacare has already announced that, effective October 7, 2021, all claimants for most conditions will only be eligible for Humira biosimilars.
     
    We have implemented national controls to ensure the use of Humira biosimilars for new claimants. As with all biosimilar programs at Equitable Life, they will continuously evolve such that our clients are provided appropriate risk protection. 
     
     
     

    Saskatchewan and Manitoba change coverage for some biologics*

    The Saskatchewan government recently announced that, effective March 1, 2021, new patients will no longer be eligible for coverage of Enbrel under its public plan. New patients will only be eligible for biosimilar versions of Enbrel.
     
    Similarly, the Manitoba government announced changes to its tiered biologics program. Currently, claimants are expected to try biosimilars listed under Tier 1 of the program before they can be considered for coverage under the public plan for either Enbrel or Remicade, which are Tier 2 drugs. Effective April 1, 2021, Brenzys, an Enbrel biosimilar, has been added to Tier 1 for some additional medical conditions. As well, Avsola has been added as another Tier 1 biosimilar for Remicade. These changes further expand the Manitoba government’s utilization of biosimilars as preferred therapies over originator biologics.
     
    Biosimilars are highly similar to the drugs they are based on and Health Canada considers them to be equally safe and effective for approved conditions.
     
    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.
     
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