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  1. [pdf] Plan Administrator Guide to EZBenefits
  2. Responding to Ontario’s biosimilar switch initiative

    We are changing coverage for some biologic drugs in Ontario in response to the province’s biosimilar initiative. These changes will help protect your clients’ plans from additional drug costs that may result from this government policy while providing access to equally safe and effective lower-cost biosimilars.

    Ontario’s provincial biosimilar initiative
    Announced in December 2022, Ontario’s biosimilar switch program ends coverage of eight biologic drugs for Ontario residents covered by the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB). The transition to biosimilar versions of these drugs began on March 31, 2023. ODB recipients using these drugs will be required to switch to biosimilar versions of these drugs by December 29, 2023, to maintain their provincial coverage

    Equitable Life’s response
    To ensure this provincial change doesn’t result in your clients paying additional and avoidable drug costs, we are changing coverage in Ontario for most biologic drugs included in the provincial initiative.

    Beginning October 1, 2023, plan members in Ontario will no longer be eligible for most originator biologic drugs if they have a condition for which Health Canada has approved a lower cost biosimilar version of the drug.** These plan members will be required to switch to a biosimilar version of the drug to maintain coverage under their Equitable Life plan. 

    Communicating this change to plan members
    We will inform any affected plan members in early August of the need to switch their medications so that they have ample time to change their prescriptions and avoid any interruptions in treatment or coverage. 

    Will this change impact my clients’ rates?
    Any cost savings associated with the change will be factored in at renewal.

    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 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.

    ** The list of affected drugs is dynamic and will change as Ontario includes more biologic drugs in its biosimilar initiative, as new biosimilars come onto the market, and as we make changes in drug eligibility.
  3. February 2020 Advisor eNews

    In this issue:

    Provincial biosimilar update
    Legislative changes for Alberta’s Coverage for Seniors program
    Coming soon: enhancements to Equitable EZClaim® Online
     

    Provincial biosimilar update

    Alberta Biosimilar Initiative

    On December 12, 2019, the Alberta government introduced the launch of the Alberta Biosimilar Initiative. This program will require patients using several originator biologic drugs to switch to a biosimilar, and patients using a non-biologic complex drug (NBCD) to switch to its subsequent entry version before July 1, 2020 in order to maintain coverage.

    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” drug. Biosimilars are highly similar to the originator drug they are based on and have been shown to have no clinically meaningful differences in safety or efficacy.

    Alberta Health will initially cover both the originator and biosimilar or subsequent entry version of a NBCD  drug as patients start the switching process.

    The following table outlines the affected originator drugs, their biosimilars or subsequent entry, and the conditions affected by the program.

    Biosimilar Drug Originator Biosimilar/Subsequent Entry Indications Affected
    etanercept Enbrel Brenzys Ankylosing Spondylitis
    Rheumatoid Arthritis
    Erelzi Ankylosing Spondylitis
    Psoriatic Arthritis
    Rheumatoid Arthritis
    infliximab Remicade Inflectra
    Renflexis    		 Ankylosing Spondylitis
    Plaque Psoriasis
    Psoriatic Arthritis
    Rheumatoid Arthritis
    Crohn’s Disease
    Ulcerative Colitis
    insulin glargine Lantus Basaglar Diabetes (Type 1 and 2)
    Filgrastim Neupogen Grastofil Neutropenia
    pegfilgrastim Neulasta Lapelga Neutropenia
    glatiramer* Copaxone Glatect Multiple Sclerosis

    *Glatiramer is a non-biologic complex drug where the originator is Copaxone and the subsequent entry is Glatect.

    Equitable Life is actively investigating the benefit, risk and appropriate plan changes associated with this new policy on private drug plans and will keep you informed.

    For more information about the Alberta Biosimilars Initiative, consult the Alberta government website.

    British Columbia

    In 2019, BC Pharmacare introduced a Biosimilars Policy that impacted coverage of three biologic drugs – Remicade, Enbrel and Lantus. As of November 25, 2019, these drugs were no longer eligible in BC for most conditions for which lower cost biosimilar versions are available. Patients in the province with these conditions were required to switch to biosimilar versions of these drugs in order to maintain their coverage.

    The second phase of the BC Biosimilar Policy takes effect March 6, 2020 when Remicade will be delisted for Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Patients in the province with these conditions will be required to switch to Inflectra or Renflexis in order to maintain their coverage.

    Biosimilar Drug Originator Biosimilar Indications Affected
    infliximab Remicade Inflectra
    Renflexis    		 Crohn’s Disease
    Ulcerative Colitis

    We have communicated with the affected plan members, informing them of the need to switch medications. If plan members have any questions or concerns, our Customer Care team is here to help and support them through the transition.

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

    Ontario

    In November 2019 Ontario Minister of Health Christine Elliot indicated that the government was planning to launch consultations to explore solutions in managing biologics.

    Equitable Life will continue to monitor these developments and keep you informed of any impact on private drug plans.

     

    Legislative changes for Alberta’s Coverage for Seniors program

    The government of Alberta has announced that as of March 1, 2020, seniors’ family members (such as spouses and dependents) who are younger than 65 will no longer be covered by the provincial Coverage for Seniors program. Albertans 65 years of age and older will continue to be covered under the provincial plan.

    Equitable Life plan members and their dependents will continue to be covered under the parameters of their group benefits plan.

    For more information, please see the Alberta Seniors Health Benefits website.

     

    Coming soon: enhancements to Equitable EZClaim® Online

    Faster vision claims processing and payment

    Equitable Life will soon provide real-time processing of vision claims submitted via EZClaim Online.

    This means plan members will be able to find out the status of their vision claim almost instantaneously. And, for approved claims, they will receive payment even sooner – often in as little as 24 hours.

    In order to allow for instantaneous processing and faster payment, plan members will be prompted to enter some additional information including the practitioner’s name, the date of the expense, the type of expense and amount of the expense when submitting their claims for these services.

    Equitable Life plan members can submit all vision claims via EZClaim, including coordination of benefits and Health Care Spending Account claims.

    This enhancement will be coming to our EZClaim Mobile app in the coming months.

    New printable claims extract

    As part of our ongoing efforts to improve customer experience for plan members, we will also offer a claims extract in a printable format within the plan member site. Plan members will be able to select a date range and claimant, then generate and download a detailed list of health and dental claims. This is a helpful way to keep track of claims, especially when reviewing them in preparation for income tax filing.

    Once these enhancements are live you will be notified in an eNews, and an announcement will be posted on the plan member section of EquitableHealth.ca.

     

    Elimination of Out-of-Country Travellers Program in Ontario

    Effective January 1, 2020, the Ontario government eliminated OHIP coverage for emergency services for Ontarians travelling outside of Canada.

    Previously, the Out-of-Country Travelers Program provided some reimbursement for services required to treat conditions that are acute, unexpected, arose outside Canada and require immediate treatment. The program covered between $200 and $400 per day for inpatient services and $50 per day for outpatient and doctor services.

    For groups who have out-of-country coverage from Allianz, this change will not impact the cost to your plan members, or the process plan members follow in the event of an emergency while travelling.

    Plan members should still call Allianz in the event of an out of country emergency. Allianz will deal with their claim as usual and will now pay for the portion of the claim previously paid by OHIP. Plan members will not have any additional out-of-pocket costs.

    We will be sharing this information with plan members as a news item on our plan member website, equitablehealth.ca.

  4. Crunch the numbers with Equitable Life’s Tax Free Savings Account Comparison Calculator

    Whether helping your client determine net worth or reviewing to see if your client’s retirement plan is on track, Equitable Life® is here to help with our online calculators. These number crunching tools can help you answer some of those challenging questions you get asked by your clients. From an RSP loan calculator to home budgeting to even figuring out if your client will be a future millionaire, check out our latest tools.


    Each week in March, we will be sharing an online calculator from our list.


    Share calculators using your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn account. 

     



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    Fei Hong and Yu Yan want to set up an emergency fund that will provide some growth and allow them to take out money when they need it. Does such a thing exist? If so, what is the catch?

     

    Did you know?

    With a TFSA, you can make tax free withdrawals at any time for any purpose. Check out Equitable Life’s Tax Free Savings Account Comparison Calculator

  5. Crunch the numbers with Equitable Life of Canada

     

    Whether helping your client determine net worth or reviewing to see if your client’s retirement plan is on track, Equitable Life® is here to help with our online calculators. These number crunching tools can help you answer some of those challenging questions you get asked by your clients. From an RSP loan calculator to home budgeting to even figuring out if your client will be a future millionaire, check out our latest tools.

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    Elijah welcomed a new baby to his family and needs to reduce the amount of money he is saving for retirement. Is he still going to be able to retire at age 60 like he planned, or will he need to extend his working years until age 65?

    Did you know?
    Investment returns, unexpected expenses and inflation can all affect your retirement savings. Check out Equitable Life’s How Long How Long Will My Retirement Savings Last Calculator.

     

    Share calculators using your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn account.

     

     ® denotes a registered trademark of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada.

  6. Easier than ever with Equitable and EZtransact Equitable® keeps improving our digital self-serve tool, EZtransact®. Our latest enhancements make it easier than ever to do business with us.

    What's new?
    Dollar cost averaging transaction
    • Advisors can now submit new dollar cost averaging requests through the Fund Switch transaction in EZtransact. A new recurring switch type is available.
    • When submitting a new request, you'll need to enter the amount, frequency, date of transfers, and the funds involved.
    • If a client has an active request, you can change the amount, frequency, date, and funds.
    • After you submit the request, the client will get an email to sign. Once they e-sign, the request goes directly to Equitable.

    Other recent enhancements include: See what advisors are saying about our updates and advance your sales process with EZtransact. If you have questions, contact your Director, Investment Sales.

    Date posted: December 11, 2024
  7. 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.
  8. Generating client policy information is easy with Equitable Did you know that Equitable® makes it easy to create a report with client policy information using Policy Inquiry? This tool makes a simple PDF that gives advisors and clients all the policy details they need to talk about investment goals.

    Key features of the Policy Inquiry tool:
    •  Exclude “Advisor Only Information” sections: Customize the report by leaving out sections meant only for advisors.
    •  Access active links to fund pages with risk ratings: Quickly go to fund pages and check risk ratings from the report.
    •  View calendar and compound returns: See a clear picture of a client's investment performance history with detailed return information.
    Generate the report just before meeting with a client to have the most current information. You can find this tool in the top right corner of the client’s policy page on EquiNet®. It is a great takeaway or follow-up item for client meetings.

    Clients can also access their policy information report anytime through Client Access®. Remind clients that they can view the report online as well.
    For more information please contact your Director, Investment Sales. 

    Date posted: June 17, 2025
     
  9. Request standard in-force illustrations with the click of a button
    At Equitable®, we are making continuous improvements to our advisor and client services. We are excited to share an upcoming enhancement. 


    What’s new?


    Beginning on August 15, 2024 , you and your clients will be able to request standard, current in-force illustrations—at any time—for your clients’ whole life and universal life policies with the click of a button.

    Currently, standard in-force illustrations for whole life and universal life policies are autogenerated only on policy anniversaries. These in-force illustrations will no longer be autogenerated after August 15, 2024.

    Please note: For specialized illustrations—such as those with segregated funds, D2000/D2000+ policies, policies where the insured’s age falls outside existing illustration parameters, or policies that were originally from Clarica—you will still need to use the in-force illustration request form  for whole life or universal life policies.  


    How do I access this?


    You can request an in-force illustration by logging into EquiNet® and going to the Policy Details page via Policy Inquiry. Under the Coverage tab, you will now see a button called Inforce Illustration Request. Click the button to request the illustration. Learn more about how to access here. 
     
  10. 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: