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  1. April 2026 eNews

    In this issue:

    Coming soon: Enhancements to Equitable EZBenefits plans for small business

    Register now: Free webinar connects nutrition and employee health

    Reminder: One-time passcodes will be added to our login experience*

    Service-related survey will go to clients in May*

     

    *Indicates content we will share with your clients.

     

    Coming soon: Enhancements to Equitable EZBenefits plans for small business

     

    Equitable EZBenefits® was created to provide a better benefits experience for small businesses in Canada. With a range of plan designs to fit the needs and budgets of companies with 2-25 employees, this unique solution is affordable, sustainable and easy to manage.

     

    Now, we’re enhancing EZBenefits to deliver even greater value for more small businesses.

     

    Overview of enhancements

     

    We’re making the following updates:

    • Dental coverage for new Bronze plans: Basic dental coverage will be available for Bronze-level EZBenefits plans. Coverage will be 70% with a $750/year maximum, 12-month recall and six scaling units.

    • Definition of earnings for long-term disability (LTD) coverage: Earnings for LTD coverage will include bonuses and commissions, to reflect common small business pay structures.

    • Part-time eligibility for Saskatchewan employers: For Saskatchewan-based employers with 10 or more employees, the definition of part-time employment will shift to 15 hours per week to match the province’s definition.

     

    These enhancements will be included in new EZBenefits plans with effective dates of June 1, 2026, or later.

     

    In-force EZBenefits clients can also access these enhancements starting June 1, 2026, by requesting a plan amendment.

     

    You may wish to discuss these enhancements with your EZBenefits clients so they can make the best decisions for their plans.

     

    An “EZ” solution for you

     

    EZBenefits is also designed with advisors’ needs in mind. By providing fast quotes, a streamlined implementation process and an advisor concierge service, we’ve reduced your administrative burden and made supporting your small business clients easier.

     

    To learn about EZBenefits or the upcoming enhancements, please contact your Group Account Executive.


    Register now: Free webinar connects nutrition and employee health


    Plan to attend this special virtual session where Dr. Jeffrey Alfonsi, Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder of RxFood, will share research that links overall health and nutrition.

     

    Poor nutrition is often connected to chronic disease. And chronic disease is heavily affecting the Canadian workforce—impacting productivity, driving up incidence of disability among employees and health benefits costs for employers.
     

    During his presentation, Dr. Alfonsi will underscore the difference healthy eating can make in several areas, including:

    • Chronic disease management and prevention

    • Early return to work from disability leave

    • GLP-1 agonist need and usage rates

    • Mental health and wellness

       

    You’ll also learn how employers can make good nutrition more accessible to employees and support their holistic health.


    Nutrition matters

    The powerful connection between diet and employee health

    When: Thursday, May 21, 2026,
    10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET

    Where: Online (register here)

    The webinar will be presented in English only. CE credits will be available.

     

    Reminder: One-time passcodes will be added to our login experience

     

    Soon, you may need to complete a new security step when you log in to your account on EquitableHealth.ca® and the Equitable EZClaim® mobile app. Anyone who logs in with an email address and password may be required to enter a one-time passcode that’s provided via email.

     

    By adding this form of multi-factor authentication (MFA) to the login process, we’re further enhancing our digital security and helping safeguard your account access and our clients’ personal data.

     

    Skip the one-time passcode. Create a passkey.

     

    However, you won’t need to enter a one-time passcode if you create a passkey to log in. Passkeys are another form of MFA. They are safe and provide a quicker, easier, secure way to access your account, using either biometrics – your face or fingerprint – or a PIN authenticator to confirm your identity.

     

    Learn more about passkeys. You’ll see how easy it is to set up on your mobile device or computer. Please reach out to your Group Account Executive if you have any questions.

     

    Service-related survey will go to clients in May

     

    At Equitable, we’re committed to providing clients and plan members industry-leading service. And we’re continually looking for ways to improve.

     

    On May 11, we’ll invite clients to complete a survey to help us understand where we’re delivering exceptional service, and how we can better meet their needs and those of their plan members. Their feedback will be kept confidential. However, we may follow up with some clients to address any concerns they identify.

     

    Every client who completes the survey will be entered into a random draw for a chance to win one of three pre-paid $200 gift cards. Clients will have through May 25 to complete the questionnaire for a chance to win a gift card.

  2. 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:

     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.

  3. 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.
     
  4. [pdf] Borrowing Money to Make Money
  5. Death Claim Requirements
  6. [pdf] myFlex Options Guide
  7. [pdf] G3NU-Application for Non-Underwriting Change
  8. [pdf] Daily/Guaranteed Interest Account - Product at a Glance
  9. Insights from a pandemic: COVID-19 and group benefits plans

    We’ve received numerous questions about the impact of COVID-19 and what it will mean for benefits plans in the months ahead. Below is a summary of what we’re seeing so far. In the coming weeks, we’ll explore each of these topics in greater depth.

    Disability

    Initially, as COVID-19 started to spread, we saw STD claims ramp up quickly. Since then, we’ve seen the number of COVID-19-related STD claims slow significantly. As for LTD, we believe both the incidence and duration of those claims will increase in both the short term and medium term due to COVID-19.

    Health and Dental Claims

    We saw an overall spike in the volume and paid amounts for drug claims in March as plan members rushed to stock up on their medications. This was followed by a drop in April after most provinces put 30-day refill limits in place. One exception was claims for asthma drugs which surged in March but had no drop in April. Overall, the April plunge will be short-lived; drug costs have already begun to rise in May.

    While paramedical and dental claims are down, we are seeing an increase in claims for virtual treatments and emergency dental services. We expect that claims will spike once the current pandemic restrictions are lifted. We’ve already started to see claims rise in provinces that are allowing health providers to re-open.

    Despite the shift to more virtual services, we haven’t seen an increase in fraudulent activity. But we continue to be vigilant. Our investigative practices – verifying with the plan member that they received the treatment and have a valid receipt, and that the practitioner has treatment notes – remain the same whether treatment is provided in person or virtually.

    Technology

    During this time of physical distancing, people are looking for ways to interact with their providers virtually. Fortunately, our business model is almost entirely electronic, and we have several convenient digital options available for plan members and plan sponsors. Our focus in recent weeks has been to remind clients and plan members about these tools and make it as easy as possible for them to activate and use them. And we are continually adding functionality that will allow us to serve our customers even better.

    Mental Health/Wellness

    Usage of i-Volve, Homewood’s online cognitive behavioural therapy tool, increased significantly in March before levelling back down in April and May. And while EFAP cases fell in April and early-May, the number of cases has begun to climb in recent weeks, particularly for anxiety. In the coming weeks and months, we expect an eventual increase in marital and family issues, as well as depression. We’ve also seen an increase in mental-health-related prescriptions.

    Plan Design

    It’s too early to predict how the COVID-19 pandemic will impact benefits plan design and how it will change in the coming months. We would love to get your feedback and insights about how benefit plans will evolve and what new features or provisions they should include.

    Please share your thoughts and suggestions with your Group Account Executive or myFlex Marketing Manager. Or, you can email your ideas to GroupCommunications@equitable.ca.