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Equitable Life Group Benefits Bulletin – January 2022
Short-term disability coverage for plan members with COVID-19*
Please note: This announcement applies only to groups with short-term disability coverage through Equitable Life
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, and the situation evolves, we continue to adjust our practices to ensure ongoing support for our plan members.
PCR tests no longer required for COVID-related STD claims
Some provinces have recently restricted access to COVID-19 PCR testing to only high-risk individuals. To ensure your clients' eligible plan members receive their short-term disability benefits in a timely manner, we no longer require a positive PCR test for plan members submitting COVID-19-related STD claims.
Plan members who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or who have tested positive for the virus (either with a PCR test or with an at-home rapid test) and are unable to work from home should complete the Short Term Disability Plan Member COVID-19 Claim Form (#421A).
They should indicate the date of the onset of symptoms or date of their positive test result. Where applicable, they should also indicate the date they have been cleared by public health to end their self-isolation. The form includes an attestation that the information they have provided is accurate.
The employer needs to complete the Short Term Disability Employer COVID-19 Claim Form (#421B). They should indicate the expected return-to-work date according to their provincial health guidelines, or using the date provided by a public health official.
Waiting periods for COVID-related STD claims
To support your clients' plan members during the initial stages of the pandemic, we waived the STD waiting period if a plan member’s absence was due to symptoms or a diagnosis of COVID-19. Now that COVID-19 has become the “new normal,” we are returning to our standard practices and treating the virus as we would any other illness.
Effective Jan. 1, 2022, standard waiting periods will apply for COVID-related STD claims, according to the terms of the Group policy. This ensures that all plan members submitting a STD claim are treated fairly, no matter what the cause of the claim.
Eligible plan members will receive STD benefits up to a maximum of 10 days from the date of the onset of symptoms or a positive COVID-19 test result, minus the waiting period.
For example, if the plan has a five-day waiting period, and the plan member returns to work nine days after a positive test result, they would be eligible for four days of benefits payments.
If the claimant is still unwell after 10 days, then the standard Short Term Disability Claim Form (#421) needs to be completed.
If a plan member is admitted to hospital, benefits will be paid following the waiting period applicable to hospital claims. -
Meghan Vallis named head of distribution for myFlex Benefits and other group benefits updates
Meghan Vallis named head of distribution for myFlex Benefits
We are pleased to announce that Meghan Vallis, our Group Sales Vice President for Western Canada, will head national distribution for myFlex Benefits in addition to her existing responsibilities.
As part of her expanded role, Meghan will lead the myFlex Benefits sales team and develop and implement strategies to achieve the growth of this offering. Meghan and the myFlex team will continue to focus on delivering market leading services for our clients and advisors.
Meghan joined Equitable Life in 2020 and brings more than 15 years of experience in the group benefits industry to her expanded role. She is passionate about helping Advisors succeed to transform their clients' employee benefit experience.
myFlex Benefits is one of the most unique and versatile benefits solutions for small businesses in Canada. It is fully pooled, includes a two-year renewal and features a user-friendly portal for plan members to make their benefit selections. And it’s simple to use: Plan sponsors set a budget and choose from a selection of benefit options. Plan members then use flex dollars to select from the options offered by their employer. Any leftover flex dollars are saved in a health care spending account (HCSA).
If you have any questions or are interested in learning more about myFlex Benefits, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager.Changes to Short Term Disability (STD) benefit calculations for 2023*
The Canada Employment Insurance Commission and Canada Revenue Agency have announced the 2023 changes to Maximum Insurable Earnings and premiums for employment insurance.
The following changes to Employment Insurance (EI) will come into effect on Jan. 1, 2023:
How does this affect your clients?
Your clients’ STD benefit will be revised with the updated maximums based on the percentage of EI Maximum Weekly Insurable Earnings shown in their policy if:- Their Equitable Life Group Policy includes an STD benefit that is tied to the EI Maximum Weekly Insurable Earnings, and
- At least one classification of employees has a maximum of less than $650.
If their STD maximum is currently higher than $650 or based on a flat amount instead of a percentage or regular earnings, no change will be made to their plan unless otherwise directed.
If your clients wish to provide direction regarding revising their STD maximum, or if they have questions about the process, they can email Kari Gough, Manager, Group Issue and Special Projects.Coming soon: Survey for Plan Administrators with recent disability claims*
We’ve enhanced our communication processes to help your clients with disability plans manage their workplace absences more effectively. In early December, we will distribute a short survey to plan administrators who may have submitted an approved 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 December 16, 2022. All responses will be confidential. We plan to use the feedback to help ensure that we’re meeting your clients’ expectations and delivering industry-leading service.
We may also follow up with survey respondents directly, to address any concerns they’ve identified.
* Indicates content that will be shared with your clients. -
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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Introducing Equitable EZBenefits: A better group benefits solution for your small business clients
If you serve small business owners, chances are they’re looking for a group benefits solution that’s affordable, sustainable and easy to manage. That’s why we introduced Equitable EZBenefits™. It’s a unique group benefits solution designed with you and your small business clients in mind.
Options to fit every need
Available to organizations with between 2 and 25 employees, EZBenefits offers a range of plan design options to match different needs and budgets. * Whether your client owns start-up or a growing company, we’ve got them covered. Plan options include a mix of Life, Health and Dental coverage. ** Clients can also add Long-Term Disability (LTD) coverage or a Health Care Spending Account (HCSA).
Embedded services to support health and wellness
To provide employees with added support for both their physical and mental wellbeing, all our plan design options include:- Anytime, online access to medical professionals through our Virtual Healthcare solution from Dialogue,
- Access to professional counselors – via the telephone, the web or in-person – through our Employee and Family Assistance Program from Homewood Health®, and
- Online resources to help manage health, financial and family challenges through Homeweb, Homewood Health’s online wellness portal.
EZBenefits also comes with built-in HR support through Equitable Life’s partnership with HRdownloads® This takes the heavy lifting out of common human resource tasks with HR support tools and services, including:- HR Technology: An award-winning cloud-based human resource information system to provide help from onboarding to offboarding and everything in between.
- HR Content: Access to a library of over 3,000 HR documents, templates, compliance resources and articles, with 25 free document downloads.
- HR Training: A free Workplace Diversity and Inclusion online training course.
- HR Support: One free Live HR Advice call with a seasoned HR expert.
We know that advising small business clients can be challenging. We’ve created a streamlined benefits process that provides rapid quotes, hassle-free plan implementation, simplified renewals and that is easy to administer. That way, you can spend more time advising your clients and building your business – and less time with administrative back and forth.
Pricing stability for long-term stability
When it comes to attracting and retaining talent, we know your small business clients are competing with larger organizations that have big budgets and lots of resources. That’s why we’ve designed EZBenefits to provide long-term pricing stability for health and dental benefits.
Find out more
Watch this video to learn how EZBenefits can help you and your clients. You can also visit info.equitable.ca/ezbenefits for more details or to request a quote. If you have questions, contact your Equitable Life Group Account Executive. If you don't have an Equitable Life Group Account Executive, email us at EZBenefits@equitable.ca.
* Not available in Quebec.
** Dental coverage is not included with the Bronze plan design option. -
Explore Equitable EZBenefits™
A better group benefits solution for your small business clients
Running a small business isn't easy, especially for companies with smaller budgets and fewer resources. It can be tough to find a competitively priced benefits plan with the features that clients want. That’s why we created Equitable EZBenefits™, a benefits solution designed with the needs of small businesses in mind.
Options to fit every need
Available to organizations with between 2 and 25 employees, EZBenefits offers a range of plan design options to match different needs and budgets. * Whether your client owns start-up or a growing company, we’ve got them covered. Plan options include a mix of Life, Health and Dental coverage. ** Clients can also add Long-Term Disability (LTD) coverage or a Health Care Spending Account (HCSA).
Embedded services to support health and wellness
To provide employees with added support for both their physical and mental wellbeing, all our plan design options include:
● Anytime, online access to medical professionals through our Virtual Healthcare solution from Dialogue,
● Access to professional counselors – via the telephone, the web or in-person – through our Employee and Family Assistance Program from Homewood Health®, and
● Online resources to help manage health, financial and family challenges through Homeweb, Homewood Health’s online wellness portal.
Extra HR support for EZBenefits clients
EZBenefits also comes with built-in HR support through Equitable’s partnership with Citation Canada® (formerly HRdownloads). It takes the heavy lifting out of common human resource tasks with HR support tools and services. Features include:
● an award-winning cloud-based human resource information system (HRIS) to provide help from onboarding to offboarding and everything in between,
● access to a library of over 3,000 HR documents, templates, compliance resources and articles, with 25 free document downloads,
● a free Workplace Diversity and Inclusion online training course, and
● one free Life HR advice call with a seasoned HR expert.
A streamlined process to optimize your time
We know that advising small business clients can be challenging. We’ve created a streamlined benefits process that provides rapid quotes, hassle-free plan implementation, simplified renewals and that is easy to administer. That way, you can spend more time advising your clients and building your business – and less time with administrative back and forth.
Pricing stability for long-term stability
When it comes to attracting and retaining talent, we know your small business clients are competing with larger organizations that have big budgets and lots of resources. That’s why we’ve designed EZBenefits to provide long-term pricing stability for health and dental benefits.
Find out more
To learn more about EZBenefits, watch our video to learn more or view our brochure. You can also visit info.equitable.ca/ezbenefits for more details or to request a quote. If you have questions, contact your Equitable Life Group Account Executive. If you don't have an Equitable Life Group Account Executive, email us at EZBenefits@equitable.ca.
* Not available in Quebec.
** Dental coverage is not included with the Bronze plan design option.
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RxFood nutrition app added to all group benefits plans
In this issue:
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RxFood nutrition app added to all group benefits plans*
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Coming soon: Coverage information at plan members’ fingertips on EquitableHealth.ca*
*Indicates content that will be shared with your clients.
RxFood nutrition app added to all group benefits plans
Equitable® has added the RxFood nutrition app to all group benefits plans at no extra cost—giving every plan member more opportunity to make healthy and informed food choices.
RxFood is Canada’s first clinically validated nutrition platform that’s used and trusted by leading health care institutions across the country, such as SickKids Hospital and Diabetes Canada, to help support better health outcomes through nutrition.
Using technology powered by artificial intelligence, RxFood turns everyday meals into personalized insights, practical tips and tailored recommendations that are easy for plan members to act on and build into their routines.
For more information, read our previous eNews article.
Promoting RxFood to plan members
This week, clients will receive a digital toolkit to help them encourage plan members to register for RxFood. Plan members must register to access this free benefit.
The toolkit includes an RxFood brochure, a poster, an email template plan administrators can use to help spread the word, and the video below.
Coming soon: Coverage information at plan members’ fingertips on EquitableHealth.ca
Starting this month, Equitable plan members will be able to find helpful information about their health coverage more quickly and easily. We’re putting the key details at their fingertips on the EquitableHealth.ca® home page.
Faster access to health coverage details
Our new coverage panel will provide plan members fast access to information about their paramedical coverage for themselves and their covered dependants – including coverage maximums, reimbursement details and more.
Plan members with Health Care Spending Accounts or Taxable Spending Accounts will also be able to check their balances from the home page.
Later this spring, we’ll add information about vision and dental benefits to the coverage panel, too.
Simpler way to find benefits resources
We’re also making it easier for plan members to access key resources. Benefits cards, booklets and other important sections of the site will now be linked directly from the home page.
The video below walks plan members through the new features:
More new features to come
The coverage panel and resources section are the latest enhancements to our new plan member web experience, which we launched last fall. We’ll continue introducing more self-serve features this year.
To learn more about our enhanced plan member home page, contact your Group Account Executive or visit Equitable.ca/effortless.
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