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  1. Equitable Life Group Benefits Bulletin – February 2022 In this issue: *Indicates content that will be shared with your clients

    Update: Alberta biosimilar coverage changes*
    Four originator biologics added to Alberta Biosimilar Initiative

    In 2022, Alberta’s provincial drug plan is adding four originator biologics to its Biosimilar Initiative. It has ended or will end provincial coverage of these drugs for some or all conditions, as follows:
    • Lovenox: Jan. 10, 2022
    • Humalog: Feb. 1, 2022
    • NovoRapid: April 1, 2022
    • Humira: May 1, 2022

    Patients 18 and over who are using these drugs for the affected conditions will be required to switch to biosimilar versions of the drugs to maintain coverage under the province’s government drug plan.

    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 these originator biologic drugs for plan members in Alberta.

    Effective May 1, 2022, claimants currently taking these drugs will be required to switch to a biosimilar version of the drug to maintain coverage under their Equitable Life plan.

    This is a continuation of the Alberta biosimilar switch program we launched last March, when the province first introduced its Biosimilar Initiative.

    Do my clients need to take any action?
    No action is required by plan sponsors. Plan members taking these targeted originator biologics will be contacted directly to allow them ample time to transition to a biosimilar. Any cost savings associated with the change will be factored in at renewal.

    Groups that opted out of the biologic coverage changes we made last March will automatically be opted out of these coverage changes, as well as any future changes to our Alberta biosimilar switch program. This means that their drug plans will continue to provide coverage to existing claimants for any originator biologics we stop covering as part of our biosimilar program.

    Advisors with clients who wish to opt out of our Alberta biosimilar program, or who previously opted out and want to opt back in, should speak to their Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager.

    Communication to plan members
    We will be communicating these coverage changes with affected claimants in early March to allow them ample time to change their prescriptions and avoid any interruptions in their treatment or their coverage. Thus far, the transition to biosimilars, has been smooth and continues to be successful.

    What is the difference between biologics and biosimilars?
    Biologics are drugs that are engineered using living organisms like yeast and bacteria. The first version of a biologic developed is known as the “originator” biologic. Biosimilars are also 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.

    Questions?
    If you have any questions about this change, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager.

    Preferred Biosimilar Program*

    As part of our ongoing efforts to help ensure the sustainability of your clients’ drug plans, we continue to engage in strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical manufacturers. 

    We are pleased to announce a partnership to make Hyrimoz our preferred biosimilar for Humira. This partnership will generate additional savings for plan sponsors.

    Plan members will still have the choice to use Humira biosimilars other than Hyrimoz. However, in the absence of alternative sources of reimbursement, this may increase their out-of-pocket amount.

    The Preferred Biosimilar Program will take effect March 1, 2022 for all new claimants across Canada who start using a Humira biosimilar. It will take effect May 1 for existing claimants in Alberta who switch to a Humira biosimilar, to align with changes to the provincial plan.

    Questions?
    If you have any questions about this change, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager.

    Responding to Quebec’s biosimilar policy

    Last year, the Quebec government announced it is phasing out coverage of biologic drugs. Beginning April 13, 2022, patients in Quebec using originator biologics will be required to switch to the corresponding biosimilar covered on the province’s public plan in order to maintain coverage.

    The following populations are excepted from this new policy:
    • Pregnant women, who should be transitioned to biosimilars in the 12 months after childbirth.
    • Pediatric patients, who should be transitioned to biosimilars in the 12 months after their 18th birthdays.
    • Patients who have experienced two or more therapeutic failures while being treated with a biologic drug for the same chronic disease.
    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.

    We are actively investigating the impact of this new policy on private drug plans in Quebec. We plan to implement further enhancements to our biosimilar programs in Quebec later this year to help prevent this change from resulting in additional costs for our clients’ drug plans. We will provide more details in the coming months.

    Dental fee guide updates

    Each year, Provincial and Territorial Dental Associations publish fee guides. Equitable Life uses these guides to help determine the reimbursement limits for dental procedures. For your reference, below is the list of the average dental fee increases for general practitioners that will be used by Equitable Life for 2022.*

    Dental fee guide increases over 2021*
    Province/Territory Average Fee Increase
    Alberta 3.9%
    British Columbia 7.35%
    Manitoba 5.79%
    New Brunswick 5.9%
    Newfoundland and Labrador 5%
    Nova Scotia 7.05%
    Northwest Territories 3%
    Nunavut 3.1%
    Ontario 4.75%
    Prince Edward Island 4.75%
    Quebec 5%
    Saskatchewan 5.99%
    *Data for all provinces and territories was not available at the time of publication. This chart will be updated on EquitableHealth.ca as more information becomes available.
     

    Reminder: Review manual allocations for HCSAs and/or TSAs*

    If your client’s Health Care Spending Account (HCSA) and/or Taxable Spending Account (TSA) has manual allocations, they need to allocate these amounts to plan members each year. Please review all your plan members’ profiles on EquitableHealth.ca to ensure they have received their allocation(s) for the current benefit year.
     
    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”
    If your clients have Plan Administrator reporting access on EquitableHealth.ca, they can determine which plan members have a zero allocation by running the “HCSA Totals by Plan Member” report online by doing the following:
    • Select “Reports”
    • Select “New”
    • Select “Next”
    • Select “HCSA” or “TSA Totals by Plan Member”
    • Select “Next”
    • Enter end date of “12/31/2020”
    • Select “Next”
    • Select “Finish”
    • View “Report”
    To provide us with the amounts to be updated, please have your client contact our Group Benefits Administration Team at GroupBenefitsAdmin@equitable.ca.

    Mental health resources for plan members*

    As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, many Canadians are experiencing increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Through our partnership with Homewood Health®, all of our clients and their plan members have access to a number of health and wellness resources designed to provide guidance and support. These resources include a number of webinars which discuss various COVID-19 and mental health-related topics. The webinars are pre-recorded so plan members can stream them at their convenience.
     
    Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 on Your Mental Health
    English webinar
    French webinar
     
    COVID-19: Loneliness & Isolation Fatigue - Self-Care Strategies 
    English webinar
    French webinar
     
    COVID-19: Dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder
    English webinar
    French webinar
     
    Reducing Anxiety & Managing the Transition Back to the Classroom - for Teachers
    English webinar
    French webinar
     
    COVID-19: Specialized Mental Health Support for Health Care Professionals
    English webinar
    French webinar
     
    COVID-19: Supporting Children’s Mental Health
    English webinar
    French webinar
     
    Additional resources, including articles, tools, videos and podcasts, are available at Homeweb.ca/Equitable. Please encourage your clients to share these resources with their plan members.
     
  2. Policy Title Changes
  3. Administration Reference Guide for Individual Wealth
  4. [pdf] Equitable GIF Contract Provisions and Information Folder
  5. DBRS Morningstar reaffirms Equitable Life’s Financial Strength Rating and Issuer Rating
    DBRS Morningstar confirms Equitable Life’s Financial Strength Rating and Issuer Rating at A (high) with Stable Trends. Equitable Life of Canada is pleased to be able to maintain the confidence of the global credit rating agency DBRS Morningstar.
     
    A Financial Strength Rating is DBRS Morningstar’s assessment of an insurance company’s ability to make timely and full payment of its obligations on policyholder claims and benefits as well as financial contract guarantees and benefit obligations. An Issuer Rating reflects DBRS Morningstar’s assessment of that issuer’s likelihood of default and considers the issuer’s fundamental creditworthiness and business and financial risks.
     
    For more information, please see the DBRS Morningstar Media Release.
     
  6. EQUIMAX PARTICIPATING WHOLE LIFE – your whole life solution Recently, we made some exciting changes for Equimax Estate Builder® and Equimax Wealth Accumulator®.

    These exciting enhancements launched in February make Equimax even more robust, simpler and cost effective, to ensure it continues to be the preferred participating whole life solution for clients and advisors alike.
     
    Visit our splash page and watch our informative video to learn more and start selling the enhanced Equimax today.
     
    Plus, visit our Equimax product page on EquiNet®, then click on the Marketing Materials tab for the latest Equimax marketing materials.
     
    Need more information? Please contact your local wholesaler.



    ® and TM denote trademarks of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada.
  7. [pdf] G3NU-Application for Non-Underwriting Change
  8. EquiNet email verification starting October 21


    Starting October 21, 2023, advisors will be asked to verify or update the email we have on file when logging into EquiNet®.  The purpose of verifying your email address is to enable multi-factor authentication in the future and enhance advisor communications based on accurate email addresses.

    Instructions:

    1. Log into EquiNet with your username and password.

    2. You will be redirected to the "Verify Email" page. Choose to verify or update your email address.

    3. Check your email for the verification link.

    4. In the email select "Verify Email" within 24 hours of receiving the email.

    5. Once you have verified your email and are logged into EquiNet, you will return to the EquiNet home screen and a success message will display.

    6. You will receive a confirmation email that you have verified your email address.


     Thank you for your cooperation.

    ® denote trademarks of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada.

    Posted October 4, 2023
  9. [pdf] Application for Life and/or Critical Illness Insurance
  10. CI Path to Success