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  1. NEW MARKETING MATERIAL! Equimax Participating Whole Life, Strong and Stable Dividends Participating whole life policyholders can get some of the participating account earnings back as dividends.1

    Dividend scales change over time. This new marketing piece shows how the actual values of policies look like against those that were estimated. It looks at two sample policies and compares them to the original sales illustrations. One example shows an Equimax Estate Builder® policy. The other example shows an Equimax® Wealth Accumulator® policy.

    We are proud of our strong and stable dividend results. We have paid dividends to our participating policyholders every year since 1936. And we’re still going strong!

    We want to make sure that we can continue to provide long-term income and growth to support the dividend scale and meet the product guarantees. We do this with constant focus on how we invest and manage risk to support the participating account.

    As a mutual life insurance company, we are owned by our policyholders who count on us and our services. Their trust in our knowledge, experience, and financial strength helps us keep our commitments to them—now and in the future.

    Dividend scales may change.2 But with a balanced approach, Equitable Life’s Equimax® Participating Whole Life continues to deliver excellent value. It gives guaranteed life insurance protection with the potential for earnings.

    Want to learn more? Check out our new marketing piece: Equimax Participating Whole Life, Strong and Stable Dividends (2075).

    For more information, reach out to your local wholesaler.
     
     

    ® and TM denote trademarks of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada.
    1 Dividends are not guaranteed and are paid at the sole discretion of the Board of Directors. Dividends may be subject to taxation. Dividends will vary based on the actual investment returns in the participating account as well as mortality, expenses, lapse, claims experience, taxes, and other experience of the participating block of policies.
    2 If low interest rates continue, investment returns will be lower, and this may mean decreases in the dividend scale in the future. Dividend payments are not guaranteed, but they will never be negative.
  2. 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.
     
  3. January 2023 eNews

    Responding to Saskatchewan’s biosimilar switch initiative*

    We are changing coverage for some biologic drugs in Saskatchewan 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 new government policy while providing access to equally safe and effective lower-cost biosimilars. 

    Saskatchewan’s provincial biosimilar initiative
    Announced in October 2022, the Saskatchewan Biosimilars Initiative ends coverage of ten biologic drugs beginning on April 30, 2023.

    Patients in the province who are using these drugs will be required to switch to biosimilar versions of these drugs by April 30, 2023, in order to maintain their Saskatchewan Drug Plan coverage.
     
    Equitable Life’s response
    To ensure this provincial change doesn’t result in your clients’ plans paying additional and avoidable drug costs, we are changing coverage in Saskatchewan for most biologic drugs included in the provincial initiative.

    Beginning April 30, 2023, plan members in the province 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 February 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. 

    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 Saskatchewan includes more biologic drugs in its biosimilar initiative, as new biosimilars come onto the market, and as we make changes in drug eligibility.
     

    Ontario announces 2023 biosimilar switch program*

    The government of Ontario recently announced the launch of a biosimilar initiative to switch patients from eight originator biologic drugs to biosimilar versions of the drugs.

    Patients in Ontario using affected originator biologic drugs will have until December 29, 2023 to switch to a biosimilar version of their medications in order to maintain coverage under the province’s public drug plans.

    We are actively monitoring and investigating the impact of this new policy on private drug plans in Ontario. We plan to implement changes to coverage of biologic drugs in the province in 2023 to help prevent this change from resulting in additional costs for our clients’ drug plans. We will provide more details in the coming months.

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

    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 2023.*** 

    Dental fee guide increases over 2022***



    ***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.
     

    Equitable Life ranks high with Canadian group advisors*

    Equitable Life ranked second nationally and first in Ontario among major insurers in a recent survey of Canadian group benefits advisors.
     
    NMG Consulting, a leading global consulting firm, conducted in-depth interviews with 130 leading group consultants, brokers and third-party administrators across the country between May and August 2022 for its annual Canadian Group Benefits Study. Based on these interviews, NMG ranked group insurers in six categories, ranging from operational management to technology.

    Nationally, Equitable Life ranked either first or second in four of the six main categories:

    Advisors in Ontario, in particular, scored Equitable Life very favourably. We ranked #1 overall in the province, finishing first in four of the six overall categories, including: Relationship Management, Operational Management, Underwriting and Claims Management and Technology.
     
    “The fact that advisors regard us so highly in so many categories is a testament to our mutual status and our ability to focus exclusively on our clients and advisors,” said Marc Avaria, Senior Vice President of Group. “We are truly working together to build strong, enduring and aligned partnerships.”
     
    “While we are happy with these results, we won’t rest on our laurels,” added Avaria. “We will continue to dedicate ourselves to providing our clients and advisors with a better benefits experience.”

    Here are more of the highlights from this year’s results:
     
    Nationally, we ranked first in all 10 subcategories in Operational Management, including:
    • Overall service to intermediaries,
    • Overall service to plan sponsors,
    • New quote process,
    • Plan implementation,
    • Renewal process,
    • Information shared at renewal,
    • Accuracy and timeliness of reporting and billing,
    • Administration quality and responsiveness,
    • Taking ownership and
    • Management information quality and availability.
    We also ranked first in Relationship Management, getting top marks in 7 of 10 subcategories, including:
    • Company relationship management,
    • Ease of doing business,
    • Account executive capability,
    • Market knowledge,
    • Visit/call quality,
    • Effective coordination and
    • Advice.
    We ranked second in Underwriting and Claims Management, finishing in the top three for all subcategories, including:
    • Fairness and timeliness of disability claims (1st)
    • Fairness and timeliness of health claims (2nd)
    • Fraud management (2nd)
    • Competitiveness of pooling charges (2nd)
    • Group underwriting flexibility (3rd)
    • Health and dental TLR competitiveness (3rd)
    And we ranked second in Technology, finishing in the top three for:
    • Overall technology – Intermediary (2nd)
    • Member experience (2nd)
    * Indicates content that will be shared with your clients.
     
  4. EZcomplete Training and Resources
  5. Digital Payment Options for Your Client’s First and Subsequent Annual Payments for Individual Life a This article has been updated to reflect changes to the Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD) for new business annual premiums – see below #2.

    To enhance the ease of doing business with Equitable Life, we have added some additional payment methods to help your clients make their first and subsequent annual premium payments easily.
     
    Three digital payment options for annual premium payments:

       1. Online bill payment - Your client can pay their annual premium easily and quickly by using the online bill payment option through their financial institution. On your client’s banking website, they must set up “EQUITABLE LIFE-INDIVIDUAL LIFE & CI” as a “PAYEE”. Use the 9 (or 7) digit policy number as the “account number” then pay this new “bill”. This is the preferred option for annual payments.  

       2. Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD) - For policies where annual premiums are $2,500 or greater, your client now has the additional option of an annual PAD payment. Your client needs to provide a signed PAD authorization form, or a signed letter of direction that indicates they have read and agree to the terms of the PAD. This is a one-time authorization and needs to be repeated for subsequent annual payments.  

       3. Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) or Wire Transfer - If online bill payment or a one-time PAD will not meet your client’s needs, such as when transferring funds from another financial institution or business to Equitable Life, and the annual premiums are $20,000 or greater, then an EFT is now an option that is available. A wire transfer is available on an exception basis only and is subject to approval.  

    Please contact your Regional Sales Team or customer service team for further questions.
     
  6. Anti-money laundering legislation changes To comply with the Government of Canada’s anti-money laundering legislation and FATCA/CRS changes, Equitable Life® has made changes to the information that we collect on some of our applications and forms.

    Changes and updates to our online forms and applications include the following:

    ● The 350 Application for Life Insurance -  Advisors can order new paper applications from Equitable’s Supply Team by filling out the Supply Order form 1390 and emailing it to supply@equitable.ca. You will receive your copies as they become available.
    ◦ Paper applications submitted after May 15, 2021, with a version date before April 2, 2021 will be accepted with the caveat that additional information may be required from the advisor to comply with anti-money laundering legislation. 
    ◦ As of July 1, 2021 any application with a version date prior to April 2, 2021 will no longer be accepted by Equitable Life.

    ● Equitable’s EZcomplete® online application reflects the new changes effective May 15, 2021. Any in-flight applications in EZcomplete will automatically be updated to comply with anti-money laundering legislation. You may be required to complete additional fields before submitting the application for signatures.

    ● Various other forms will now require additional information. A complete list of all forms and applications affected by the anti-money laundering legislation can be found here. 

    Learn more about the Government of Canada’s anti-money laundering legislation and Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada
  7. Updated Temporary Resident Guidelines We are excited to announce that we have liberalized our Temporary Resident Guidelines.

    ● The validity period requirement of the supporting documentation for all Temporary Residents has been lowered to three months
    ● Student Visa holders attending post secondary educational institutions may qualify for a total coverage of $500,000, and – if employed – even for $1,000,000  

    We will now ask for the following information:

    ● Information regarding the educational institution and programme for all amounts over $250,000 (typically includes online validation)
    ● A maximum of $500,000 may be available for students enrolled in professional programmes, as defined in our Student Financial Guidelines (e.g., medical, law, etc.)
    ● A maximum of $1,000,000 may be available for students who are legally and gainfully employed. For this, we require proof of current employment and the CRA Notice of Assessment for the previous year. Should both be satisfactory, the allowable face amount will be calculated according to the published Work Permit guidelines. If applying for over $500,000, a minimum one-year period after arrival to Canada is required.
    ● Students enrolled in elementary or secondary school are eligible for a total coverage of $250,000. Exceptions may apply if the parents are insured or applying for minimum $1,000,000. We will confirm the parents’ respective occupations, incomes, and residency statuses

    Read more about the details of the changes in the updated Residency Guidelines form 1530.

    Please contact your Regional Sales Manager for more information. 
  8. Celebrating our wins – 2023 Individual Insurance Marketing Recap Equitable® would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and we are looking forward to doing more business together in 2024!

    As we start a brand new year, we would like to share with you some highlights of our 2023 initiatives in Individual Insurance. These projects aimed to make it easier to do business and enrich your experience of working with us.

    Digital & Administration Enhancements
    Our 2023 digital transformation initiatives ensured smoother processes, streamlined operations, and improved user experiences for advisors and clients:
    ● Digital Transactions for Universal Life Plans
    ● Text Notifications Keep You Informed on Your New Business
    ● New Online Policy Loan Form
    ● EZcomplete Enhancement for Critical Illness
    ● New Life & CI Application 





    Product Updates
    Equally pivotal were our efforts in enhancing our individual life insurance solutions to empower you to confidently recommend us to clients:
    ● A Tune-Up for Equimax
    ● The Equimax Evolution Continues
    ● Critical Illness Insurance Update
    ● New Dividend Scale Interest Rate 
     
    To learn more about the above initiatives, kindly reach out to your local wholesaler.
    Thank you for entrusting us with your business in 2023!
    Continue watching for news from Equitable for more great launches and enhancements in 2024!           


    ® or TM denote trademarks of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada
  9. Savings & Retirement Policy and Procedure updates regarding Electronic Signatures We have updated our policies and procedures regarding electronic signatures in the Savings and Retirement department. We are now able to accept electronically signed documents, from all major third-party signing vendors.  

    Including esign@equitable.ca as a non-signing reviewer is the preferred method as it ensures the security embedded documents are accurately and immediately available for Equitable. We will be automatically notified when signing is complete and will download eSigned forms immediately for processing. Including esign@equitable.ca as a non-signing reviewer is secure, quick, and efficient. Documents no longer need to be emailed to us – eSigned documents are sent directly to us once all signatures are completed, therefore you do not need to notify us once the documents are signed.  

    When esign@equitable.ca is not used to submit electronically signed documents, the following criteria are required: 
    • The original signed form and audit trail with all the security features intact 
    • The email address used to sign must match what is in our files (as provided on the application, for electronic policy delivery or through previous communication). If an email address has changed, or we don’t have an email contact for the signer, we will follow up for confirmation. 

    A guide on how to use esign@equitable.ca can be found here.

    Please note that Equitable does not accept digital signatures (images or fonts of a signature which are not stamped). 

    Date posted: June 13, 2024
  10. Equitable Now Accepts eSignatures on all documents (Ind. Ins. & S&R)

    View the Guide to completing eSignatures


    What are the benefits?
    ● It’s secure because you no longer need to upload or email documents to us.
    ● It also removes a step in the process for you -  we will get the eSigned documents directly once all signatures are completed and therefore you no longer need to notify us once the documents are signed.
    ● Your documents will be processed quickly and efficiently.

    How does this work?
    ● Including esign@equitable.ca as a non-signing reviewer is the preferred method as it ensures the security embedded documents are accurately and immediately available for Equitable. We will be automatically notified when signing is complete and will download eSigned forms immediately for processing.
    ● If not using esign@equitable.ca we require the original signed form and audit trail with all the security features intact.
    ● The email addresses used to sign must match what is in our file (as provided on the application, for electronic policy delivery or through previous communication). If an email address has changed, or we don’t have an email contact for the signer, we will follow up for confirmation.
    ● We will accept all eSigning Vendors that have the functionality to place the eSignature in the correct signature fields on all applicable documents. If the eSigning vendor does not have the functionality to do this, we cannot accept it. 


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