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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 100th 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
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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
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: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. -
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.
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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! - [pdf] Beneficiary Change Form
- [pdf] Your Guide to EquiLiving (Client Guide)
- Miscellaneous
- [pdf] Retirement Realities
- [pdf] Take emotions out of investing
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Paramedicals are Re-opening Shortly
We are pleased to announce that face-to-face insurance testing paramedical services, including the collection of vitals & fluids, are resuming shortly. Our service providers, Dynacare and ExamOne, have been monitoring the public health standards and have established standards they will operate under to protect the health of both the applicant and health professionals.
Our commitment to your client’s safety
It is Equitable Life's commitment that both clients and advisors will be provided clear and thoughtful communication before initiating any testing. Clients should fully understand the potential risks associated with having a paramedical test taken at this time and are always able to choose not to attend the appointment if they do not feel comfortable or safe.
How will paramedical services be conducted?
Dynacare is conducting appointments at fixed site facilities where clients will travel to the health professional for their appointment. The paramedical questions will be covered by video or telephone to minimize the time spent in the fixed site facility. For more information, see Dynacare’s COVID-19 client guide that will be provided to the client directly.
ExamOne examiners will travel to the client’s home for their appointment and the entire paramedical will be conducted at that time. Information about ExamOne’s COVID-19 processes and their Preparing for my exam client guide will also be provided to the client directy.
When are paramedical services re-opening?
In person paramedical services for Equitable Life cases will begin opening gradually. We have worked closely with our service providers, the CLHIA & provincial governments and believe it is prudent to begin re-opening services in the provinces that have a lower incidence of COVID-19. We will expand the schedule as the incidence of COVID-19 lowers or is expected to lower in specific regions.
Please note if you had an order in process prior to services shutting down, the provider will be looking to re-open and complete those orders. If requirements are no longer needed given the non-med limit changes, the order will remain closed.
Schedule for re-opening paramedical services:Province Start Date Saskatchewan June 1-Dynacare, June 11-ExamOne New Brunswick June 8-Dynacare, June 11-ExamOne PEI and Newfoundland June 15, Dynacare and ExamOne Manitoba June 15, Dynacare and ExamOne Alberta June 18, Dynacare and ExamOne British Columbia June 22, Dynacare and ExamOne Nova Scotia June 22, Dynacare and ExamOne Ontario* By June 30, Dynacare and ExamOne Quebec * By June 30, Dynacare and ExamOne
Note: Start dates are subject to change based on the progress of COVID-19.
*Ontario & Quebec to re-open regionally (starting with areas with lower incidence of COVID-19). Specifics for Ontario and Quebec will be communicated closer to the implementation dates for these provinces. Further details can be found in this communication.