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Equitable Life Group Benefits Bulletin - October 2022
Introducing new Gender Affirmation Coverage for group benefits plans
Providing an inclusive benefits plan can play a critical role in fostering a workplace culture that welcomes diversity and helps employees thrive. While most provinces cover the cost of gender-affirming surgery, each person has unique needs. Some may require procedures that are not publicly covered.
That’s why we’re pleased to introduce a new coverage option for gender affirmation surgical procedures that are not covered by provincial health plans. Gender Affirmation Coverage helps plan sponsors to close the gap where provincial health coverage ends.Coverage details and eligibility
Gender Affirmation Coverage can be added to any Equitable Life plan with an in-force Extended Health Care plan. It provides coverage for gender-affirming procedures that are not covered by provincial health plans. This might include tracheal (Adam’s apple) shaving and voice surgery. It will also cover some additional procedures to further align the plan member’s features to the transitioned gender, such as facial bone reduction and cheek augmentation. This makes a wider variety of gender-affirming surgeries accessible to plan members and helps minimize their out-of-pocket costs.
Plan members are eligible for coverage with a diagnosis of gender dysphoria from a qualified health care professional.Offering a more inclusive benefits plan
The coverage provides one more way for your clients to offer more inclusive coverage and to offer holistic support to their plan members undergoing a gender transition. We have developed this coverage as a complement to our existing coverage options, including Health Care Spending Accounts (HCSAs), Taxable Spending Accounts (TSAs), Extended Health Care and drug coverage, and Employee and Family Assistance Programs, all of which can provide support to plan members undergoing gender affirmation.
We regularly review our products to ensure that they’re meeting your clients’ needs, and we’re committed to offering products that support diversity, equity and inclusion.
We also continue to review our forms, documents and processes to make them more inclusive. This includes reviewing our online plan member enrolment (OPME) tool to allow for more flexibility with the way plan members identify their gender.Gender affirmation and mental well-being
Gender affirmation procedures can lead to improved mental health outcomes for those with gender dysphoria, as most report an improvement in their quality of life following the procedures. Gender dysphoria may occur when a person’s assigned sex at birth does not match their identity, and people experiencing gender dysphoria typically report psychological and emotional distress, including symptoms of depression or anxiety. By offering coverage where provincial health coverage ends, your clients can support plan members as they seek procedures that align their body presentation with their self-identified gender.
Advantages at a glance
Advantages for plan members include:- Reimbursement for some procedures and expenses, leading to fewer out-of-pocket costs
- May experience improved mental health outcomes after surgery
- A benefits plan that promotes a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion, which may build employee loyalty
- Support for plan member mental health to help those with gender dysphoria thrive
The Benefits Canada 2022 Health Care Survey results are in!
Equitable Life is proud to be a Platinum sponsor for The Benefits Canada 2022 Health Care Survey, Canada’s leading survey on workplace benefits plans. This year’s survey report highlights many fascinating insights across a wide variety of benefits topics, including:- A focus on mental health for both plan sponsors and plan members
- The repercussions of the "shadow" pandemic due to health care delays
- Trends in plan members' overall perceptions of their health benefits plans
- The types of benefits getting more attention from plan members
- The role of remote work in plan member satisfaction
We’re committed to helping you and your clients navigate the evolving landscape of employee benefits in Canada by contributing to this vibrant industry community. To read the full report, visit Benefits Canada.
HCSA and TSA manual allocation reminder
If your clients’ Health Care Spending Account (HCSA) and/or Taxable Spending Account (TSA) have manual allocations, they need to allocate these amounts to plan members each year. Clients should review their plan members’ profiles on EquitableHealth.ca to ensure they have received their allocation(s) for the current benefit year. Your clients may also order HCSA and TSA forfeiture reports on EquitableHealth.ca.
If your clients have Plan Administrator update access on EquitableHealth.ca, they can update these amounts online by doing the following:- Select View certificate
- Select Health Care Spending Account or Taxable Spending Account
- Select Update Allocation in Task Center
- Enter amount in Revised Allocation Amount
- Override Reason – Plan Administrator Request
- Select Save
- Select Reports
- Select New
- Select Next
- Select HCSA or TSA Totals by Plan Member
- Select Next
- Enter end date of 12/31/2022
- Select Next
- Select Finish
- View Report
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AI – Not a replacement for good judgement
When it comes to AI, clients’ interests come first
Artificial intelligence, or AI, is changing how we work in Canada. It helps us do things faster, makes talking to others easier, and takes care of many daily tasks. As of mid-2025, studies show that more than 68% of Canadian financial firms — including about 15,000 advisors and 2,500 agencies — have already started using AI to stay ahead, reach clients, and handle routine tasks.1,2
For financial advisors, AI can be useful and exciting, as long as it’s used wisely and always with client privacy and regulatory compliance in mind.
AI can make your day-to-day work easier but use it with care:
• Know the risks as well as the rewards
• Remember, AI is a tool —it can’t replace your expertise and good judgement!
• When using AI, always protect client privacy and follow the rules
AI is changing how we all work. To help you keep up, we encourage you to stay up to date with industry news and tips about AI. For example, the following recent news article has some helpful tips on using AI safely and effectively in your practice: Using artificial intelligence can pose risks for advisors
When you use AI, stay vigilant and informed, use your good judgement—and always put the client’s interests first.
1Canadian Artificial Intelligence Business Adoption Survey 2025, Finance and Technology Insights Canada.
2Financial Advisors & Agency Technology Integration Report, Canadian InsurTech Analytics, July 2025.
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Get the Straight Talk on Equitable’s par account performance
Real answers to big questions
At Equitable, we understand how important it is to make confident decisions when dealing with large cases. When you have questions, you need concise, direct insights from leaders and subject matter experts.
Introducing the Straight Talk video series
Today, we are thrilled to share the first episode of Straight Talk. This episode features Mark Arruda, VP of Individual Insurance Pricing and Finance.
Mark talks about how Equitable’s par account is built to perform in all kinds of conditions, with strong governance, disciplined risk management, and prudent capital practices that ensure stability even when large life insurance claims are paid out.
Watch Straight Talk for straight answers to the questions that matter most.
Contact your Equitable Wholesaler to learn more about Equimax.
- [pdf] Corporate Preferred Estate Transfer® using whole life
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Elevate your business with industry best practices and needs-based selling
Keeping your business aligned with industry best practices is vital for your success. It not only supports the fair treatment of clients – it also helps you meet certain market conduct requirements and Equitable’s expectations for needs-based selling.
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) has a program that checks how well advisors follow the Insurance Act and its conduct rules. FSRA looks at how well advisors follow industry best practices and fair treatment of clients guidance (see CLHIA’s guidance document, “The Approach”). Their focus is on key areas such as giving sound advice, managing conflicts of interest, and putting clients’ needs first. FSRA selects advisors’ client files and looks for documentation that indicates needs-based selling.
In December 2024, FSRA released its latest Market Conduct Supervision Report. It highlights the need for advisors to follow certain rules and industry best practices. The report found five key areas where improvement is needed:
1. Missing notes from client meetings and calls
2. Inadequate advisor disclosure
3. Missing sales illustrations for different product options
4. Missing insurance needs analysis
5. Missing policy delivery receipts
By following industry best practices and keeping thorough records, you show your commitment to providing clients with the solutions they need. For example, taking notes during client meetings helps you track all discussions that support your recommendations. Having an insurance needs analysis shows you are providing clients with suitable advice to buy the solutions that best meet their needs.
Resources: Equitable® has resources that can help improve your business practices and help you treat clients fairly. We encourage you to check these out:
1. PPT: “Ensuring a Compliant, Needs-based Insurance Sale”. The steps to follow in needs-based selling and the records to keep.
Get CE credits! We offer the above as a self-study course that qualifies for 1 Continuing Education (CE) credit. Access it here: https://equitable-life-education.teachable.com/. (Use your contracted email to log in).
2. Client File Reference: The records to keep when selling investments, life insurance, or critical illness insurance, including key documents insurers and regulators look for during compliance audits.
3. Investor Profile Questionnaires: These will help you document your sales recommendations for:
● Universal Life (UL) sales: 1190.pdf, and
● Pivotal Select (Segregated Fund) sales: 1165.pdf
Questions? Contact your Equitable wholesaler. They are ready to support your success! -
What’s new in EZtransact
We’re excited to introduce the latest enhancement for EZtransact™, our digital self-serve tool. EZtransact now allows you to help clients:
• Easily make segregated fund withdrawals. This functionality is available for all account types, and for the First Home Savings Account, it also eliminates the need to submit additional CRA paper forms.
• Transfer from one fund to another fund digitally, within the same policy and same sales charge options.
These enhancements make it easier than ever to do business with Equitable®. They will help reduce your time spent on paperwork, allowing to you focus on more value-add time and services for clients.
Check out EZtransact. Stay tuned for more exciting digital enhancements coming soon!
If you have any questions, please contact your Director, Investment Sales.
Date posted: July 11, 2024 -
New and improved online calculators
Individual Wealth is excited to announce the launch of eight refreshed and enhanced online calculators! These tools are designed to help advisors and clients make more informed and accurate financial decisions.
These calculators are live and ready to support client conversations.
Why the change?
We have switched vendors to Ativa Interactive, a Canadian company with 30 years of experience in financial services. Their tools are more reliable and easier to use, offering a better advisor and client experience. Ativa Interactive has a robust portfolio of calculators available, giving us the opportunity to expand our offerings in future.
What’s available?
We kept the calculators you use most and added two new ones based on your feedback.
Popular calculators being refreshed:
• Will the money last calculator
• Savings Growth Calculator
• TFSA vs taxable investment calculator
• Retirement Projection Calculator
• Become a millionaire calculator
• RRIF Payment Calculator
New additions:
• GIA laddering calculator
• First home savings account calculator
Questions?
If you have any questions or need support, please reach out to your Director, Investment Sales.
Date posted: August 28, 2025 -
Simpler juvenile policy approvals
A win for you and clients
Get insurance protection in place more quickly for kid’s policies with an enhanced juvenile underwriting model. It’s an industry-leading predictive model that extends existing auto-assess capabilities for your juvenile applications.
What does this mean for you?
You will notice reduced wait times as clients get the protection they need faster. And you will receive your commission quicker as well. This gives both you and your Equitable® underwriter time to focus on supporting your complex cases to bring you our best offer. The new auto-approval model for juvenile policies is a win for all.
Give us a try!
See for yourself how we can help you get protection in place for clients quickly.
Contact your Equitable wholesaler for more information.
® or TM denote trademarks of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada. - [pdf] Path to Success Client Email Template
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Like a summer breeze – Applying for LIFE insurance just got easier!
What has changed?
A resting electrocardiogram (ECG) is no longer required for most LIFE cases.
• That’s right! We eliminated the resting ECG as a routine age/amount requirement for most life insurance applicants.
• Of course, we may still request an ECG in certain cases at our underwriters’ discretion – for example, if the client has a history of diabetes or smoking.
It’s simple – Equitable® is dedicated to continually enhancing the client and advisor experience. By eliminating the ECG step for routine applications, life insurance clients can obtain the coverage they need more quickly and with less effort.
Why did we do this?
The tools below are being updated shortly to reflect the above change:
Updated resources coming soon!
• Our age/amount schedule for Life insurance products
• The underwriting requirements built into our illustration tool
• Our paramedical service providers’ ordering system
Until then, if you see an ECG as a listed requirement for your client in any of the above, there is no need for you to order the ECG unless we specifically ask for it.
Questions? Please contact your local Equitable wholesaler to learn more.
View our Evidence of Insurability Schedule (#1343) – (see p.1 chart for Life products).
® and ™ denotes a trademark of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada.