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Update - Travel Assist Coverage*
Last Friday, we announced that plan members with Travel Assist on their benefits plan will not be eligible for coverage if they departed the country after the Government of Canada issued its Global Travel Advisory.
When the Government issued its advisory late Friday afternoon, we felt an obligation to let prospective travellers know as soon as possible so they could make informed choices about their travel. Since then, we have been made aware of a number of situations where plan members were unable to change their travel plans and need our continued support.
To provide that support, we have revised our position. We will continue to cover plan members for all eligible emergency medical expenses, including those related to COVID-19, for trips outside Canada. Given the global situation is evolving quickly, we will continue to monitor developments and update you accordingly.
In spite of this, we strongly urge your clients to advise their employees not to travel outside of the country at this time. The risk is high and the options for returning to Canada are becoming limited. Further, we urge your clients to advise their employees who are outside the country to return to Canada earlier than scheduled, if possible.
If a plan member is currently travelling abroad and is experiencing symptoms or is hospitalized with suspicion of the coronavirus, they should contact Travel Assist at the numbers listed below for assistance and to confirm their coverage.
- Toll-free Canada/USA: 1.800.321.9998
- Global call collect: 519.742.3287
- Allianz Global Assistance ID #9089
We will continue to update you as the situation develops.
We will update the announcement on our Plan Member website to reflect this change.
We apologize for any confusion or inconvenience our earlier announcement may have caused.
*Indicates content that will be shared with your clients
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Equitable Life Group Benefits Bulletin – March 2022
In this issue:
- CLHIA launches industry anti-fraud initiative*
- Provincial biosimilar update*
- Quebec decreasing insurance premium tax*
- Coming soon: A survey to understand how we can better serve your clients’ needs*
- Remind your clients’ plan members in BC, Manitoba and Saskatchewan to register for Pharmacare *
CLHIA launches industry anti-fraud initiative*
In February, the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA) announced a new anti-fraud initiative that is using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to further identify and reduce benefits fraud.
Equitable Life is excited to be a part of this important initiative. It will enhance our own fraud detection analytics by using AI to connect the dots across a huge pool of anonymized claims data. This will lead to more investigations and actions to mitigate the impact of fraud on your clients’ plans.
The initiative is being led by the CLHIA and member insurers and is supported by technology provider Shift Technologies. It will be further rolled-out and expanded over the next three years.
Benefits fraud affects more than just insurers. The costs of fraud are felt by employers and their employees as well. We are looking forward to being able to better identify and reduce benefits fraud.
Provincial biosimilar update*
BC expands its biosimilar initiative
BC Pharmacare recently announced it is adding two rapid-acting insulins to the list of drugs included in its ongoing initiative to switch patients to biosimilar versions of high-cost biologics. Patients taking Humalog or NovoRapid for Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes will be required to switch to a biosimilar version of the drugs by May 29, 2022 to maintain coverage under the public plan.
Biologics are drugs that are engineered using living organisms like yeast and bacteria. The first version of a biologic developed is also known as the “originator” biologic. Biosimilars are also biologics. They are highly similar to the originator biologic drugs they are based on, and Health Canada considers them to be equally safe and effective for approved conditions.
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 Humalog or NovoRapid for plan members in BC. Effective June 1, 2022, claimants currently taking Humalog or NovoRapid will be required to switch to a biosimilar version of the drugs to maintain coverage under their Equitable Life plan and their BC Pharmacare plan.
We will be communicating this change to plan administrators later this week. And we will be communicating with affected claimants in early April to allow ample time to change their prescription and avoid any interruptions in their treatment or their coverage.
If you have any questions about this change, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager.
Nova Scotia and Northwest Territories introduce biosimilar initiatives
The governments of Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories each recently announced they are launching biosimilar initiatives to switch patients from certain originator biologic drugs to biosimilar versions of the drugs.
Patients in Nova Scotia using affected originator biologic drugs will have until February 2023 to switch to a biosimilar version of their medications in order to maintain coverage under the province’s public drug plans. Patients in the Northwest Territories will have until June 20, 2022, to switch.
Equitable Life® actively monitors and investigates all biosimilar policy changes and the ongoing evolution of biosimilar drugs entering Canada. We will keep you informed of any impact on private drug plans and how we are responding.
Quebec decreasing insurance premium tax*
The Quebec Government has announced that it plans to decrease its Insurance Premium Tax rates effective April 1, 2022. The premium tax rates for group life and accident and sickness insurance are expected to decrease from 3.48% to 3.3%. The new tax rates will be applied to premiums for the billing period beginning on or after April 1, 2022.
Coming soon: A survey to understand how we can better serve your clients’ needs*
We are committed to providing your clients and their plan members with industry-leading service. We’ve introduced several enhancements over the past year to make it easier to do business with us. And we’re continually looking for ways to improve.
In the coming weeks, we will conduct a survey of your clients to help us understand how we can better serve them. On March 28, we will send plan administrators an email with a link to the survey. The survey will remain open until the end of the day on April 11 and will take between five and 10 minutes to complete. Please encourage your clients to participate. Their feedback will be confidential, and their responses will help us improve our service and ensure we’re meeting their expectations. We may also follow up with plan administrators directly to address any concerns they’ve identified.
We know your clients’ time is valuable. So, each plan administrator who completes the survey will be entered into a random draw for a chance to win one of 25 prepaid gift cards for $25.
Remind your clients’ plan members in BC, Manitoba and Saskatchewan to register for Pharmacare*
If your clients have plan members in British Columbia, Manitoba or Saskatchewan, the provincial government offers a Pharmacare program to support prescription drug costs. Plan members in these provinces must register for their provincial Pharmacare program to maintain coverage under their Equitable Life drug plan.
Registration is easy! We will send two registration reminder messages directly to plan members’ pharmacists and post them on their Explanation of Benefits. We’ve also created a step-by-step guide that your clients can share with their plan members.
English version
French version
For more information about the provincial Pharmacare programs, including how plan members can register, please visit:
For British Columbia residents: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/health-drug-coverage/pharmacare-for-bc-residents
For Manitoba residents: https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/pharmacare/apply.html
For Saskatchewan residents: https://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/health/prescription-drug-plans-and-health-coverage/extended-benefits-and%20drug-plan/drug-cost-assistance#eligibility
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Delay in Pivotal Select segregated fund client statements
We apologize for the delay in the delivery of our Pivotal Select™ segregated fund client statements. We understand how crucial these statements are for you and clients. We are working hard to resolve the issue. We will post an update on EquiNet® on or before February 7.
We appreciate your understanding and patience during this time. If you have questions or need further assistance, reach out to our Client Care Team at 1.866.884.7427.
Best Regards,
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Cam Crosbie,
Executive Vice-President, Savings and Retirement Division
Equitable
Posted February 4, 2025 - [pdf] EQUITABLE LIFE: Stability you can count on
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Group - COVID-19 Group Benefits Updates
As the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread, it’s important that you have the most up-to-date information about how it impacts you, your clients and their plan members. To help, we have created a COVID-19 Updates page on EquiNet, our secure advisor site. There you will find links to past editions of our eNews, as well as the most up to date FAQ. Please check back often. We will continue to provide timely updates on any developments that impact our clients and their plan members or their benefits coverage.