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Equitable Life Group Benefits Bulletin - September 2022
Homewood Health launches Sentio, an upgraded iCBT platform
Equitable Life’s mental health partner, Homewood Health, has launched Sentio, an upgraded platform for Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT). This self-directed platform is now available to all Equitable Life clients, and it replaces Homewood’s previous iCBT platform, i-Volve.
Sentio Self-Directed iCBT is a comprehensive digital cognitive behavioural therapy platform. Developed by Homewood’s mental health experts, it is an action-oriented solution for plan members, giving them practical resources and activities to help with their depression, anxiety and overall mental health challenges.
Available as a standalone app, on mobile, tablet and desktop, Sentio contains over 20 unique treatment goals for issues like stress management, improving sleep, managing depressive thoughts, and coping with panic. Users can work through treatment goals in any order, at their own pace. It also includes tools and resources to help plan members build skills and change their thought patterns.Sentio iCBT benefits
Sentio integrates seamlessly with Homewood Pathfinder so that users can easily locate and take advantage of the iCBT activities available. Sentio also includes a number of unique features:- More interactive features and activities to help plan members build valuable mental health skills
- Integrated symptom measurement and progress tracking
- Interactive multimedia learning and cognitive exercises to enhance learning
- Progress, learnings, and exercises that have been accessed are available to be re-accessed for 12 months
Please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager if you have any questions.
Streamlining disability claims with Opifiny
Equitable Life is partnering with Opifiny to provide a quicker and more seamless disability claims experience.
Opifiny is an online platform that streamlines the disability claims process for consulting physicians, benefits plan sponsors, and disability plan members. Equitable Life will be using Opifiny for ongoing disability claims management, modernizing the process of gathering medical assessments and information.
Disability claims frequently involve several instances of correspondence between Equitable Life and the plan member’s medical team. By using the secure platform, health care professionals can access, respond to and process medical insurance requests easily from any device. They can typically complete administrative tasks associated with disability claims in a quarter of the time. The platform is secure and protects the privacy of their patients’ confidential information.
By digitizing and modernizing the claims management process for doctors, Equitable Life will have faster access to higher quality claims information. For some claims, using Opifiny may enable Equitable Life to help plan members safely return to work sooner.
Reminder: Obtaining plan member signatures on all administration forms
Please remind your clients that plan members must sign all administration forms, including enrolment forms, benefits change forms, and beneficiary designation forms. Once completed, a plan administrator can keep the form or send it to us. We are not able to accept a beneficiary designation that has not been signed by the plan member. Having appropriately signed forms helps to ensure that any life insurance claims are paid to the intended recipients.
For your clients’ convenience, forms can be signed electronically using one of our approved vendors, which include DocuSign, BambooHR, Adobe Sign, and many more.
If you have questions about providing signed forms, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager.
Correction: Coverage for full-time students and dependents with disabilities
In our August edition of eNews, we provided incorrect information about benefits coverage options for over-age dependents. We indicated that over-age dependents who are full-time students may continue to be eligible under the plan member’s benefits plan if they are studying in their home province. However, attending a post-secondary institution in their home province is not a requirement for continued eligibility. Dependents who are full-time students may continue to be eligible for coverage regardless of where in Canada they are attending post-secondary education.
If your clients have any questions about extending coverage for over-age dependents that are full-time students, please notify them of this error.
We apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this may have caused.
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FasatWeb Upgrade Implementation
At Equitable, we are making continuous improvements to our advisor services. We are excited to share some upcoming enhancements to FasatWeb—Equitable’s compensation inquiry system.
What’s new?
On January 20, 2024, Equitable is implementing changes to FasatWeb. These changes include:
● Single sign-on has been enabled. Once you log into EquiNet, you won’t have to log in again to access Compensation Inquiry.
● Compensation Inquiry (FasatWeb) can be accessed using MS Edge, Chrome, or Firefox. Compensation Inquiry will no longer run on Internet Explorer.
● Compensation Inquiry screens will now have a new look and feel.
● Two new features have been added to the Activity Analyser, as are highlighted in the image below:
1. Advanced Export—an Advanced Export button has been added to the upper right side of the page, allowing you to export all query results.
2. Column visibility—the new Column visibility tab allows you to choose which columns you’d like to display in your PDF or print request.
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New! Digital Beneficiary Change Request option for clients (Individual insurance)
Great news! Equitable® has introduced a new Digital Beneficiary Change Request option for life insurance clients on Client Access.
Clients with eligible plans can now choose to make beneficiary changes directly online. It is another step in Equitable’s journey of enhancing the client experience.
Which plans are eligible?
Eligible
• Individually owned plans with revocable beneficiary designations.
• Plans with policy owners not living in Quebec.
Not eligible
• Plans with irrevocable or preferred beneficiaries.
• Plans with policy owners living in Quebec.
Our previous process, using form (#671BCF), has not changed. It continues to be available for those who prefer that option.
Note: The new Digital Beneficiary Change Request is currently only available to clients. We will be launching an advisor online option soon. Going forward, we will not make self serve transactions available to clients ahead of advisors.
Learn more: Please contact your local Equitable wholesaler. -
Updates to Guaranteed Interest Account Applications
New versions of the Guaranteed Interest Account (GIA) contract/applications will be available on July 20, 2024. The current versions can be used until July 19, 2024. GIA applications signed on or before July 19, 2024 must be received at Equitable® no later than July 26, 2024.
Changes will be made to the commission schedules (schedule A and B) on or around July 20, 2024. These changes include:
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an improved layout and formatting to improve readability, and
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decreases to the Daily Interest Account and Guaranteed Interest Account commissions.
To review the commission schedules, please login to EquiNet. Once you have logged in, you can access the commissions schedules by selecting “Contracting/Compensation” and selecting the “Compensation” option.
If you have any questions, please contact your Director, Investment Sales.
Posted July 18, 2024 -
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New! Digital Beneficiary Changes – for advisors
In July, Equitable® launched a new Digital Beneficiary Change Request option for life insurance clients using Client Access.
We have just updated this process for advisors. You can now submit digital beneficiary change requests for eligible clients using Policy Inquiry. No forms needed!
It’s easy! Just log in to EquiNet®, then select Policy Inquiry from the Menu bar.
This simple process is another step in our journey towards enhancing your experience of working with us.
Which plans are eligible*?
Eligible Not eligible Individually or jointly owned plans with revocable beneficiary designations. Plans with irrevocable or preferred beneficiaries. Plans where all policy owners are living outside Quebec. Plans with policy owners living in Quebec.
*These eligibility rules apply to requests made online by both clients and advisors.
Our previous ‘manual’ process (using form #671BCF) continues to be available for those who prefer that option.
Learn more
Please contact your Equitable wholesaler for more details.
® or TM denotes a trademark of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada. -
Yukon to implement national pharmacare on April 15
The Yukon territory will implement the first phase of its pharmacare program via the National Pharmacare Act, also known as Bill C64 (Act), on April 15, 2026.
The Yukon joins Manitoba, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island, who have already implemented the first phase of their own programs. All signed bilateral pharmacare agreements with the federal government last year.
National pharmacare coverage details
The Government of Canada will provide universal access to contraceptive and most diabetes medications for Yukon residents. This funding will also improve access to diabetes devices and supplies.
Yukon residents will receive public coverage for a range of contraceptives and diabetes medications at little to no cost.
Many diabetes medications, such as metformin, insulin, sulfonylureas and SGLT-2 inhibitors, will be fully covered under the Yukon pharmacare program. Some diabetes medications will only be partially covered.
Effective April 15, 2026, Equitable will no longer cover drugs that are eligible for coverage under Yukon pharmacare.
What will Equitable plan members need to do?
Coverage under the Yukon pharmacare program will be provided automatically at the pharmacy counter.
Equitable group benefits plan members simply need to present a prescription for a covered medication to their pharmacist. The pharmacist will charge the provincial plan directly for the relevant medications.
Where do GLP-1 drugs fit in?
GLP-1 agonist drugs, such as Ozempic, will not be covered under Yukon pharmacare. 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 under their Equitable group plan.
Plan members who are already taking a GLP-1 agonist to treat diabetes and have previously received coverage under their Equitable group plan 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 they’ve tried a first-line diabetic treatment to be eligible—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.
- [pdf] Equitable GIF Product at a glance
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Insights from a pandemic: Long-term COVID-19 drug risks
For the remainder of 2020 and beyond, COVID-19 will continue to add to the existing pressures driving up drug costs. Examples of contributing factors include:
- Claims for acute drugs will likely increase as elective surgeries resume and plan members address non-emergency health issues that were left unattended during COVID-19.
- Plan members whose employers are facing financial strain due to COVID-19 may stock up on their prescriptions in anticipation of losing their job and/or their benefits.
- An ongoing increase in the prevalence and severity of mental health issues and chronic conditions. In May and June, we saw a dramatic increase in the number of claimants for depression, ulcers, blood pressure and diabetes, and depression was associated with 1 in 5 claimants.
All trends thus far suggest we can expect about a 10% increase in average paid amounts per certificate in 2020 compared with 2019. But the impact won’t be the same for all groups. There will be significant variations, particularly for smaller groups, and some may see much larger cost increases.
Unknown COVID-19-related risks
Another risk exposure may come from the costs associated with drugs used to treat or prevent COVID-19. There are currently numerous vaccines in development, and more than 300 clinical trials are underway for both new and existing drugs to determine their effectiveness in treating the virus.
The cost of any vaccine or whether government or private plans will pay for it is unknown. Regardless, there will likely be other drugs indicated for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 that private plans will be expected to cover. The cost of this impact for private payers is unknown, but potentially high.
Another unknown is what will happen with dispensing fees. While most provinces have lifted their 30-day prescription refill limits, it remains to be seen whether pharmacies will resume dispensing 60- and 90-day refills at pre-COVID levels for private plans. If not, this would mean the dispensing fees will continue to drive up drug costs.
Advisor opportunity
Despite the increase in drug plan risk in recent years, little has changed in plan design trends. Very few plan sponsors have adopted managed plans or other plan design options that could help manage risk.
This presents an opportunity for advisors to educate their clients about the risks their drug plan may be exposed to and the options available to manage that risk.
A practical starting point for those conversations is our Drug Plan Design Tool. With two simple questions, it can help confirm your client’s objectives and identify some best-fit solutions for their plan. Ask your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager for a copy of the tool.
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Equitable Life Group Benefits Bulletin - Group Advisor Bonus Enhancement
Announcing our Enhanced Group Advisor Bonus Program
We have enhanced our Group Advisor Bonus program to make it more competitive and to help support you in building your business with Equitable Life in 2022. We have updated the structure of the bonus program to make it easier for you to qualify, as well as increased the amounts we pay.
Beginning for sales effective in 2022 we have:- Decreased the minimum premium required to qualify for the Sales Bonus to $35,000 from $150,000.
- Moved away from using Graded Annualized Premium for both the Sales and Persistency Bonus and are using actual Annualized Premium instead, up to a maximum of $500,000 per policy. This simplifies the program and aligns us with the rest of the industry.
- Increased the Sales Bonus payout to up to 5% of Annualized Premium for Traditional Sales and up to 3% of Annualized Premium for myFlex sales.
- Changed the minimum annual premium threshold for the Persistency bonus to $500,000 of capped Annualized Premium from $500,000 of Graded Annualized Premium to make it easier for you to qualify.
These enhancements do not apply to advisors who are not part of our standard Advisor Bonus program and who have special bonus arrangements in place. If you have a special bonus arrangement in place and would like to switch to the standard program, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager.
Below is a table comparing the current Sales Bonus structure and payout. For full details, please refer to the Group Advisor Compensation and Recognition brochure.
Enhanced Sales Bonus
For the new Sales Bonus, the Payout Band is based on total combined Traditional and myFlex Benefits new annualized premium (capped at $500,000 per policy). The Sales Bonus Rates for both Traditional sales and myFlex sales are shown in the table below:
New Sales Bonus Rates Payout Band Capped Annualized Premium* Sales Bonus Rate
(from first dollar)Traditional Sales myFlex Sales 1 $34,999 and under 0% 0% 2 $35,000 to $99,999 3.5% 1.5% 3 $100,000 and over 5% 3% *Total Traditional and myFlex new business sales combined, capped at $500,000 per policy.
If you have any questions about the Advisor Bonus enhancements, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager.
- Dividend Withdrawals and Change and Premium Offset