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Equitable Life creates guide to accessing virtual healthcare at no cost
With many health clinics closed and the healthcare system under strain, people are looking to access a doctor and other health providers virtually.
To make it easier for plan members, we’ve created the Guide to Accessing Virtual Health Care Services on the plan member section of EquitableHealth.ca. This online resource provides information about and links to a range of virtual health services they need to take care of their health and the health of their family during these challenging times.
The Guide also indicates which services can be accessed for free. In some provinces, online doctor visits are now covered by the public health plan, so there’s no cost to the patient to access them as long as they provide their valid provincial health card. In other provinces, the nominal fee can be claimed on a Health Care Spending Account.
We will continue to update the Guide as more virtual healthcare providers and services become available.
- Sales Strategies
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Why tax refunds aren't always good
It’s important for advisors to help clients understand their finances. Many people think getting a tax refund is good, but that's not always true. Here are some reasons why.
1. Overpaying Taxes
A refund on a tax return means the client paid too much in taxes during the year. This is like giving the government an interest-free loan. Instead, clients could use that money each month for savings or investments.
2. Missed Investment Chances
When clients overpay taxes, they miss chances to invest that money. It could have been earning interest or growing in value instead of sitting with the government.
3. Poor Financial Planning
A big tax refund can show poor financial planning. It's better if clients break even, meaning they don't owe much and don't get a big return. This shows their tax withholdings are accurate.
4. False Sense of Security
A large tax refund can make clients feel falsely secure. They might spend it quickly instead of saving or investing it wisely.
5. Financial Hardship
Overpaying taxes can make it hard for clients to manage their money during the year. They might struggle with monthly expenses or saving for emergencies.
Advisors should teach clients about the downsides of tax refunds. By adjusting their withholdings, clients can manage their money better and take advantage of investment opportunities. Aim for a balanced tax situation to improve financial health.
Help clients make the most of their investment opportunities this tax season. For more information, contact your Director, Investment Sales.
Date posted: March 20, 2025 -
Equitable Life Group Benefits Bulletin – February 2022
In this issue:
- Update: Alberta biosimilar coverage changes*
- Preferred Biosimilar Program*
- Responding to Quebec’s biosimilar policy*
- Dental fee guide updates*
- Reminder: Review manual allocations for HCSAs and/or TSAs*
- Mental health resources for plan members*
Update: Alberta biosimilar coverage changes*
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:
Four originator biologics added to Alberta Biosimilar Initiative- 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.
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*
*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.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%
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”
- 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”
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.
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Let’s talk about Critical Illness insurance, the Equitable way.
Having critical illness insurance benefits in an important time of need is so valuable. Get the right critical illness insurance coverage for your clients.
In 2022, we made some significant updates to our EquiLiving® Critical Illness insurance plans to provide better choices and features for clients.
These significant updates included:
● The addition of Acquired Brain Injury as a covered condition
● The addition of 20 pay options allowing more choice when choosing the right plan for your clients
● The removal of the age restriction for juveniles to claim for Loss of Independent Existence
Plus, a Canadian first, the addition of Cloud DX. Cloud DX is a value-added service that provides remote patient monitoring to claimants in addition to the full critical illness benefit paid by Equitable Life®. Cloud DX delivers medical grade hardware directly to the client so that Cloud DX can remotely monitor their vitals to help ensure they are on and stay on the road to recovery.
View our new Critical Illness video on YouTube or Vimeo!
With these updates and more, EquiLiving Critical Illness Insurance is there for clients, not only at time of their claim but also during their recovery. To learn more about Critical Illness insurance, the Equitable way, contact your local wholesaler.
*Cloud DX is a non-contractual benefit and may be withdrawn or changed by Equitable Life® at any time. To be eligible for the Cloud DX offering, a claimant must be age 12 or older and have received payment on or after February 12, 2022 for a covered critical condition benefit under an individual critical illness insurance policy issued by Equitable Life. An early detection benefit payment does not qualify. Equitable Life pays for 6 months of Cloud DX subscription fees. If the claimant wishes to continue the Cloud DX service after 6 months, they will be responsible for the cost.
® and TM denote trademarks of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada.
- [pdf] G2 - Application for Change
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How to talk to clients about CI when they don’t want to
Does this sound familiar?
You’re having a chat with your client about Critical Illness insurance. They suddenly interject: “Critical illness insurance isn’t for me.”
“Why is that?” you ask.
“Because….
- Critical Illness insurance is expensive!
- I don’t understand what it covers exactly.
- I have money to cover me if I get sick, so I don’t need this.
- I’m healthy enough.
- It’s not life insurance, so I don’t need it right now.
- I already have disability coverage through my work.”
If you’ve heard any of these responses, and didn’t know how to respond, we can help.
Our Path to Success program covers all these objections and more with simple-to-follow PDFs and videos. You’ll learn conversation strategies and tips on how to navigate the sale. Most importantly, you’ll know exactly what to say the next time a client objects to Critical Illness insurance.
Want to learn more? Check out our CI Path to Success modules here!
Need CE credits? Take our Path to Success program here. -
Juvenile insurance is a gift that keeps on giving
Life insurance may not come wrapped with a ribbon, but it can be a perfect gift to provide a child with a lifetime of protection. Equimax® whole life insurance provides permanent coverage, with several benefits:
• Insurability – lock in permanent insurance protection for life while a child is young and healthy.
• Affordability – it is cost-effective to purchase a life insurance policy for a child and lock in a guaranteed premium at children’s rates.
• Cash value – Equimax has a guaranteed minimum cash value outlined in the contract. It can also accumulate tax-advantaged, non-guaranteed dividends1. As the cash value of the policy increases over time, the child can use the cash value to help pay for life’s milestones or emergencies.
Protecting a child’s future with life insurance today can be a gift that keeps on giving for all their tomorrows.
Ask your wholesaler about Equimax whole life insurance for children.
1Dividends are not guaranteed and are paid at the sole discretion of the Board of Directors.