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1. Helping clients build financial literacy in a changing disclosure landscape
2. National Pharmacare (Plan NP) takes effect in B.C. on March 1

   In this issue:

   National Pharmacare (Plan NP) takes effect in B.C. on March 1

   Travel coverage details plan members should know if they’re in or going to Mexico*

   *Indicates content we will share with your clients.

    

    

   National Pharmacare (Plan NP) takes effect in B.C. on March 1

    

   The Province of British Columbia (B.C.) will implement the first phase of the National Pharmacare Act, also known as Bill C64 (Act), on March 1, 2026.

    

   The new program will be called National Pharmacare (Plan NP). The province joins Manitoba and Prince Edward Island, who have already implemented the first phase of their own programs. All three provinces, along with Yukon, signed bilateral pharmacare agreements with the federal government last year.

    

   National Pharmacare (Plan NP) coverage details

    

   The federal government has agreed to provide universal coverage for many diabetes drugs and contraceptives, including deductibles, during the first phase of implementation of the Act. Equitable will no longer cover drugs that are eligible for coverage under Plan NP.

    

   Diabetes devices and supplies are not included in the first phase of plan implementation. However, expanded coverage for certain diabetes-related devices and supplies is expected to begin in B.C. on April 1, 2026.

    

   Since B.C. already offers universal coverage of contraceptives through its provincial pharmacare program, the province is using that portion of the federal funding to cover menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), also called hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

    

   Many diabetes medications such as metformin, insulin, sulfonylureas and SGLT-2 inhibitors will be fully covered under Plan NP.

    

   Some diabetes medications and MHTs will only be partially covered when the program takes effect. As well, many diabetes medications will continue to require Special Authority through the province.

   
   
   What will Equitable plan members need to do?

    

   Coverage will be provided automatically at the pharmacy counter. Plan members simply need to present a prescription for a covered medication and their Medical Services Plan of B.C. (MSP) card to their pharmacist. If a plan member isn’t fully enrolled in the MSP yet, their pharmacist will help them secure coverage under Plan NP.

    

   The pharmacist will charge the provincial plan directly for the relevant medications. There will be no direct impact to plan members or their experience at the pharmacy for fully covered drugs.
    

   Where do GLP-1 drugs fit in?

    

   GLP-1 agonist drugs will not be covered under Plan NP. Equitable plan members who are prescribed this type of drug to treat diabetes must try a first-line diabetic treatment before we can deem them eligible for coverage of the GLP-1 agonist.

    

   Plan members who are already taking a GLP-1 agonist to treat diabetes will continue to be eligible for coverage. New plan members or plan members with new prescriptions for GLP-1 agonists must provide us proof that shows they’ve tried a first-line diabetic treatment to confirm eligibility—unless we already have a previous record of their insulin use. Proof can be either a past receipt or a claim statement.

    

   Our priority is supporting the best outcomes for plan sponsors and their members. We are working with TELUS Health, our pharmacy benefits manager, to keep you updated as more details become available.

    

   Travel coverage details plan members should know if they’re in or going to Mexico

    

   Plan members with Travel Assist medical emergency coverage included in their benefits plan should keep the following information in mind if they’re planning travel to Mexico or if they’re in the country now.

    

   Due to recent violence in Mexico, the Government of Canada has issued the following travel advice to anyone in or planning to visit the country.

    

   Plan members are not covered if they receive out-of-province services where the Canadian government had issued a warning to avoid all or non‑essential travel before they entered the country.

    

   Plan members should contact Trident Global Assistance, the company that administers our Travel Assist benefits, before departing if they have questions about their coverage or to confirm if they’re covered for travel to their specific destination.

    

   Here’s how plan members can reach the Trident Global Assistance toll-free 24-hour emergency hotline:
    

   • In Canada or the U.S: 1-800-321-9998

   • Elsewhere: Call collect at 519-742-3287

      

   They should be prepared to provide the following information:

   • Name

   • Group policy number

   • Certificate number

   • Government health insurance plan number

      

   If a plan member arrived in Mexico before the travel advisory was issued and are past their day allowance, they should call Trident if they need to have their day maximum extended past the allowable period. 

    

   Equitable’s Travel Assist medical emergency coverage does not include any trip cancellation or trip interruption benefits.

    

   Communicating to plan members

    

   We are making every effort to share this information with affected plan members. Please encourage your clients who have Travel  Assist coverage included in their benefits plan to share this message with their plan members.

3. Policy Title Changes
4. Update: Improved Employee Assistance from Homewood Health

   As we announced in June, we are expanding our relationship with Homewood Health to help you meet the mental health and wellness needs of your employees and their families. Beginning Oct. 1, 2019, Homewood will be the new provider of both our Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) and our online health and wellness services.

   Following the transition to Homewood, plan members will benefit from added features:

   • Signing in to Homewood Health online allows the platform to customize content unique to your interests.
   • All plan members will have access to a Health Risk Assessment to help identify health and wellness barriers.
   • i-Volve, Homewood's online cognitive behavioural therapy program is available for all plan members to help them manage anxiety and depression.

   Learn more about Homewood Health and how they will be providing your plan members with exceptional EFAP and online health and wellness resources.

   What does the transition to Homewood mean for you and your plan members?

   We will be working with you in the coming months to facilitate the transition and support your employees. Most importantly, there will be no disruption of service delivery to employees who are currently in short-term counselling with our current EFAP provider.

   The transition timeline

   Groups without an EFAP

   Online health and wellness resources will be available through EquitableHealth.ca just as they are now. Here's what you can expect in the coming months.

   September   

   • We will send plan administrators an email with more details about the resources available to assist in the transition, including:
     • How to register for Homewood Health online
     • A video orientation for plan members

   October

   • October 1^st – plan members can access the Homewood online resources! They simply need to visit homeweb.ca/Equitable to sign up and create their unique login.

   The transition timeline

   Groups with an EFAP

   We’ve created a helpful infographic that outlines the steps involved in the transition to the Homewood Health EFAP over the coming months. Please save or print it for easy reference. Below are some of the highlights.

   August

   • We will send plan administrators an email with official notice that the enrolment certificate for our current EAP provider, LifeWorks, will terminate on Sept. 30, 2019, and that Homewood Health Inc. will be our new Employee Assistance Program provider as of Oct. 1.

   September   

   • Homewood will send you a welcome email, including how to access the EFAP, who to contact for support and where to find resources to help share the news with plan members.
   • Homewood will follow up directly to answer any questions you may have.
   • Homewood will begin offering orientation and training sessions for both plan administrators and plan members. These will be running throughout the fall so you can attend at your convenience. 

   October

   • October 1^st – plan members can access the Homewood EFAP and online resources! They simply need to visit homeweb.ca/Equitable to sign up and create their unique login.
   • Orientation and training sessions will continue to be available for both plan administrators and plan members throughout October.

   Learn More

   The resources listed below answer common questions about Homewood and our EFAP transition:

   • EFAP Transition Infographic
   • Homewood Health - Improving Life
   • EFAP Transition FAQ
   • About Homewood

   If you have a question that is not addressed here, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager.

5. Equitable Life Group Benefits COVID-19 Update

   The test of a great partner is one who stands tall when you and your clients need to rely on them most. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we thought you might find it helpful to have a summary of where we are during this crisis.

   You can download this PDF version to refer to when meeting with your clients.

   We are here with you and for you

   We’ve taken several steps to support you, your clients and their plan members during this crisis, including:

   • Providing premium refunds for insured, non-refund Health and Dental benefits;
   • Waiving the waiting period for short-term disability claimants who tested positive for COVID-19;
   • Extending out-of-country travel coverage for plan members who were unable to return to Canada;
   • Providing increased flexibility for premium payments; and
   • Keeping you and your clients informed with timely Q&As and announcements, webinars, and insights into the impact of COVID-19 on benefits plans.

   As well, to commemorate our 100^th Anniversary this year, we donated $4.5 million to purchase and install a new MRI for Grand River Hospital. And we donated $50,000 – $10,000 each – to five charities in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. For more information about our celebrations, check out our website at www.equitable100.ca.

   We have adjusted our business to become digital

   Our business is near 100% digital, so the vast majority of our employees are now working remotely from home and are fully functional.  Since the pandemic began, our IT and operations teams have digitally enhanced more than 20 different processes and services to make it easier for us to integrate with our distribution partners in this new reality.

   We pride ourselves on our customer service

   In 2019, our dedication to customer service was recognized with outstanding survey results.

   • In a 2019 survey of customers from 15 life insurance companies,¹ Equitable Life ranked #1 on the Net Promoter Score, a measure used across industries to gauge the loyalty of a firm's customer relationships; and
   • A survey of Group consultants, brokers and third-party administrators ² ranked Equitable Life in the top two insurers across all categories.

   For 2020, we continue to deliver service at the same level with no disruptions during this crisis. Our Customer Care Centre remains open to support plan members and can be reached at 1.800.265.4556. And our Client Relationship Specialists are available for Plan Administrator questions and support.

   We are financially strong and stable

   We remain financially strong and continue to focus on meeting the needs of Canadians. At the end of the first quarter, our Life Insurance Capital Adequacy Test (LICAT) ratio is at 152.5%, well above our goal and the regulatory requirement.

   As the global situation continues to evolve, rest assured that Equitable Life is unwavering in our commitments to you and the communities we serve. We are here with you and for you. Please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager if you have questions or need assistance.

    

    

   ¹  LIMRA CxP Customer Experience Benchmarking Program, Life Insurance In-Force Experience 2019

   ² NMG Consulting’s Canadian Group Benefits Survey 2019

6. Important notice: Funds with Deferred Sales Charges The Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators (CCIR) is requiring all insurance companies to discontinue the sale of segregated funds with deferred sales charges (DSC) effective June 1, 2023. This also impacts ongoing or new deposits to some existing segregated fund accounts. Please contact any Equitable Life clients who may be impacted.
    
   How this impacts clients:
   In response to the insurance regulator’s recommendation, Equitable Life^® will be making changes to the administration of certain segregated fund products, which may impact clients. The details are outlined below:
    
   Pivotal Select™ segregated fund product
   On or about May 29, 2023:
   • Funds with DSC or Low Load (LL) sales charge options will be closed to additional deposits. Future deposits must be allocated to the No Load (NL) sales charge option of the funds available within the policy.
   • Any existing amounts held in DSC or LL funds are not impacted and will retain the existing deferred sales charge schedule outlined in a client’s contract. The annual 10% available (20% for RIF policies) for withdrawal without fees continues to apply through to the expiry of the fee schedule.
   • If the default deposit instructions that a client previously provided include funds with DSC or LL sales charge options, these instructions will be automatically updated to the NL sales charge option of the same fund for all future deposits.
   • If a client has pre-authorized scheduled deposits into funds with the DSC or LL sales charge options, these instructions will be automatically updated to the NL sales charge option of the same funds for all future deposits.
   • In alignment with our current administrative rules, if a client has DSC or LL funds, they will not be able to make deposits into No Load Chargeback funds (NLCB and NLCB5) within the same policy.
    
   Legacy segregated fund products
   Ongoing deposits to DSC funds are permitted when a segregated fund product does not have an alternative sales charge option available within the contract. This applies to the following products:
   • Personal Investment Portfolio
   • Pivotal Solutions II
   • Pivotal Solutions DSC
   As a result, clients who own these types of products may continue to make new deposits to the DSC funds within their policy. Any new segregated fund deposits, as well as any existing segregated fund amounts within their policy will retain the deferred sales charge schedule outlined in their contract.
   
   If a client plans on making additional deposits, they may be interested in alternative sales charge options that do not include DSC. For example, Equitable Life offers “No Load” (NL) and “No Load Chargeback” (NLCB and NLCB5) sales charge options within the Pivotal Select segregated fund contract. In these situations, a new application would need to be completed and submitted.
   
   Please note that draft regulation in Quebec is currently under review which may impact Equitable Life’s approach for Quebec clients with legacy segregated fund products.
   
   Equitable Life will continue to monitor provincial regulatory developments and adjust our approach as needed.
    
   Client communication
   We will be sending clients a letter within their December 31, 2022, statement describing their options, and the impacts to their policy (if applicable). We recommend that you contact clients to discuss the contents of Equitable Life’s letter and provide any advice that they may need regarding ongoing deposits to their segregated funds. You can access a copy of the client letter here:
   • Pivotal Select letter
   • Legacy letter

    If you have any questions, please reach out to our Advisor Services Team at 1.866.884.7427.
   
   December 23, 2022
   
   ™ or ® denote registered trademarks of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada.

7. May 2023 eNews

   Update: Introducing changes to our Diabetes Management Program

   Beginning June 1, 2023, we are introducing additional standard drug plan controls as part of our Diabetes Management Program.
    
   The controls will apply to GLP-1 agonists approved by Health Canada for the treatment of diabetes, such as: Adlyxine, Mounjaro, Ozempic, Rybelsus, Trulicity, and Victoza. 
    
   This change will help manage the impact of these high-cost diabetes medications for your clients while continuing to provide plan members with access to effective treatments to manage their disease.
    

   Why are we introducing this change?

   GLP-1 agonists are the highest cost diabetes drugs on the market. Current Diabetes Canada Clinical Practice Guidelines recommend that most Type 2 diabetics begin treatment with lower-cost and equally effective first-line therapies, such as Metformin.
    
   Some GLP-1 agonists are also used “off-label”. In other words, they are often prescribed for conditions for which they have not been approved by Health Canada, such as weight loss.
    
   These additional controls will help ensure that these drugs are used appropriately – only for the treatment of diabetes and only after other first-line treatments have been tried.
    
   If a client wishes to provide coverage for drugs specifically approved by Health Canada for weight loss, we have coverage options available.    
    

   How will this program work?

   Plan members who receive a new prescription for a GLP-1 agonist will need to try a first-line diabetic treatment before they are eligible for coverage of the GLP-1 agonist. If the plan member has previously tried first-line therapies and found them ineffective, they will be eligible for a GLP-1 agonist.
    
   Plan members who are already taking a GLP-1 agonist to treat diabetes will continue to be eligible for coverage. Some claimants may need to provide confirmation of their diabetes diagnosis from their physician or pharmacist in order to maintain coverage. We will provide claimants ample time to confirm their diagnosis.
    

   Questions?

   If you have any questions about these additional standard controls or how they will impact your clients, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager.
    

   Coming soon: Survey for plan administrators with recent disability claims

   We are regularly enhancing our communication processes to help your clients with disability plans manage their workplace absences more effectively. Later this month, we will distribute a short survey to plan administrators who have submitted a disability claim in the past six months. The survey will ask recipients about their satisfaction with the frequency and detail of our disability management communications.
   
   The email will come from GBClientFeedback@equitable.ca, and the survey will remain open until the end of the day on May 19, 2023. All responses will be confidential. Survey respondents will receive the option to provide their contact information so that we can follow up on feedback they have provided.
   
   We plan to use the feedback to help ensure that we’re meeting your clients’ expectations and delivering industry-leading service.
   
   In a previous issue of eNews, we published a list of the average dental fee increases for general practitioners based on the latest Provincial and Territorial Dental Association fee guides.
   
   Since then, the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA) has updated the 2023 dental fees for some provinces. Provinces with dental fee updates since our previous eNews are bolded and italicized. 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.
    
8. Death Claim Requirements
9. 2025 – Celebrating a year of growth!

   Individual Insurance roundup

   Kicking off 2026 with excitement— we’re proud to reflect on the wins Equitable’s individual insurance team achieved in 2025! We added nearly 50,000 new policies, serviced over 450,000 existing insurance clients, and paid more than 1,300 claims. But there’s more! 
   
   Through the year, we introduced new digital tools and smart ways of working that made things easier for advisors and clients alike. It was a year of remarkable growth and impact. 
   
   Here’s a recap of some of our best moments of 2025.
   ● Faster juvenile policy approvals
   We launched a new way to approve juvenile policies. Families can now get insurance faster, and advisors spend less time waiting. This lets you and your Equitable underwriters focus on approving more complex insurance applications.
   
   ● Easier payment updates online
   Our new “update payment” feature on Client Access and EquiNet made it simple for clients to change banking details and payments online — no paperwork needed. Updates are made within three business days, giving clients more choice in the way they connect with us.
   
   ● Better fund information
   With Fundata, we created an enhanced web page for universal life policy investments. Now, advisors and clients can easily find fund performance details and use simple “favourite funds, search, and compare” tools. This makes it easy for clients to stay informed on their UL investments.
   
   ● More choices for universal life (UL) clients
   Our new 30/65 Rider for Equitable Generations™ UL plans gives clients more choice and flexibility—an affordable new way to add more coverage to their policies when needed.
   
   ● Flexible term exchange options
   New term 30/65 exchange option — a great addition! It provides more choice for clients that need to change their coverage as their needs evolve.
   
   ● Stable dividend scale interest rate
   We kept our market-leading dividend scale interest rate of 6.40%, providing participating policyholders with confidence and stability.
   
   ● New web tool for UL illustrations
   This new online tool puts UL sales illustrations at your fingertips online. You can view and save them from your laptop, making it easier than ever to manage your UL business. Try the new web illustration tool here.
   
   ● New term insurance rates
   In November, we introduced new term insurance rates. Our term rates are now among the best available! This makes it easier for clients to get the insurance coverage they need.
   
   Looking ahead
   In 2025, Equitable showed that trying new ideas, making things easier, and putting clients first truly matters. As 2026 begins, we’re focused on continuing this exciting momentum.
   
   Thank you for being on this journey with us and wishing you a very happy and successful year ahead!
10. [pdf] What's New July 6 2017