Site Search

698 results for browse official page MAKEMUR.COM Paying to get my daughter out of jail now pay later West Virginia

1. FHSA conversations that move clients closer to home

   Today’s first‑time homebuyers face higher housing costs, rising interest rates and the challenge of saving while renting.  A recent survey suggests two-thirds of Canadians still dream of owning a home despite a challenging market¹. As advisors, you can play a critical role in helping clients navigate these realities and make informed, tax‑efficient decisions.
   
   Join us for a webcast focused on the First Home Savings Account (FHSA) and how it can be integrated with other savings vehicles to support clients on their path to home ownership.
   
   You’ll learn:
   
     • FHSA basics like eligibility, contribution limits, deductions and withdrawals.
     • How the Home Buyers’ Plan via RRSPs, TFSAs and non-registered savings accounts work together with an FHSA.
     • Practical planning ideas using real‑life client scenarios.
     • How Equitable^® can support you with FHSA solutions and advisor tools.
   
   This session will help you confidently position the FHSA within a broader savings and home‑buying strategy, even for clients who may be unsure when or if they’ll buy.
   
   Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2026
   Time: 2:00 p.m. ET | 11:00 a.m. PT
   Duration: 1 hour
   Host: Joseph Trozzo, Investment Sales Vice President, Equitable
   Speaker: Ally Kulak, Inside Sales Associate, Equitable

   Strengthen your FHSA planning — register now! Help clients move closer to their first home.

   
   1 www.investmentexecutive.com
   
   Continuing Education Credits 
   This webcast has been accredited for 1.00 Life continuing education (CE) credit via the Insurance Council of Manitoba and Alberta Insurance Council for all provinces excluding Quebec. To be eligible for CE credits, you must register individually, watch the webcast in full, and complete a short quiz. It is the advisor's responsibility to ensure Continuing Education credits being offered are accepted by their licensing body. Alberta Insurance Council (AIC) credits are valid in Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. Insurance Council of Manitoba (ICM) credits are valid in Manitoba only. 
   
   This webcast is available in English only. 
   
   Date posted: June 3, 2026
2. Group Benefits - Premium relief for Dental and Extended Health Care benefits

   We know this is a difficult time for Canadian employers and that many of your clients are facing financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to look for ways to help employers manage while still supporting their employees.

   With many health practitioners closing their offices due to the pandemic restrictions, plan member use of dental benefits and some health benefits has declined.

   So, we are pleased to announce that we are offering premium relief for all Traditional and myFlex insured non-refund customers for Health and Dental benefits, as follows:

   • A 50% reduction on Dental premiums; and
   • A 20% reduction on vision and extended healthcare rates (excluding prescription drugs), which equates to an 8% reduction on Health premiums. 

   These reductions are retroactive to April 1, 2020 and will appear as a credit against the next available billing. We will assess the situation monthly and expect to continue with monthly refunds for as long as the current crisis period continues.

   We expect that claims experience and premiums will return to normal once the current pandemic restrictions are lifted.

   In the meantime, plan members will continue to have full access to their benefits coverage throughout the pandemic. In many cases, dental offices remain open for emergency services, and a variety of healthcare providers are available virtually.

   Commissions

   We know the pandemic has put financial strain on your business as well, so we will continue to pay full compensation. Although your overall commission will be unaffected by these premium reduction adjustments, you may see a temporary reduction in your commission payments if you are on a pay-as-earned basis while we put through mass changes. If so, we will then make an additional top-up payment to cover that shortfall as soon as we are able.

   Communication

   We will be communicating this premium relief program to your clients April 21st at 8:00am EST.
   
   A PDF of the communication is also available here.

   Questions?

   If you have any questions, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager. In the meantime, we have provided some Questions and Answers below.

   Will the premium reduction on Health and Dental benefits have an impact on the renewals that were deferred?
    
   No. Renewals will proceed as normal, with rate adjustments based only on months where full premium was paid. For most clients, we anticipate “normal” rate adjustments at renewal compared to rates paid prior to refunds taking effect.
    
   Does this adjustment apply equally to clients who have had their renewal deferred?
    
   Yes, these adjustments apply to all Traditional and myFlex insured, non-refund customers for Health and Dental benefits.
    
   How does this affect clients who have terminated or amended a plan?
    
   If a benefit is in-force during the month of April, the adjustment will be credited to the next available billing. For clients who have temporarily terminated all benefits, this will be applied against the first bill once benefits have been reinstated. No cash refunds will be paid.
    
   Will you recover any of the adjustment at a future point in time?
    
   No, we will not recover this adjustment.
    
   Instead of this premium reduction adjustment, can a client cancel or adjust some of the benefits on their plan?
    
   Yes, you and your clients always have the option of changing the coverage on a plan, such as reducing or removing a benefit to help control costs. Please speak to your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager about the options available.
    
   Are TPAs and self-administered groups eligible for the premium reduction?
    
   Yes. TPAs and self-administered groups are eligible for the premium reduction. However, timing for the credit will be dependent on the billing practices of the TPA or self-administered group. We will apply these credits as soon as we are able.

3. [pdf] Your Guide to EquiLiving (Client Guide)
4. 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.

5. Online CE Credit Courses
6. January 2023 eNews

   Responding to Saskatchewan’s biosimilar switch initiative*

   We are changing coverage for some biologic drugs in Saskatchewan in response to the province’s biosimilar initiative. These changes will help protect your clients’ plans from additional drug costs that may result from this new government policy while providing access to equally safe and effective lower-cost biosimilars. 
   
   Saskatchewan’s provincial biosimilar initiative
   Announced in October 2022, the Saskatchewan Biosimilars Initiative ends coverage of ten biologic drugs beginning on April 30, 2023.
   
   Patients in the province who are using these drugs will be required to switch to biosimilar versions of these drugs by April 30, 2023, in order to maintain their Saskatchewan Drug Plan coverage.
    
   Equitable Life’s response
   To ensure this provincial change doesn’t result in your clients’ plans paying additional and avoidable drug costs, we are changing coverage in Saskatchewan for most biologic drugs included in the provincial initiative.
   
   Beginning April 30, 2023, plan members in the province will no longer be eligible for most originator biologic drugs if they have a condition for which Health Canada has approved a lower cost biosimilar version of the drug.** These plan members will be required to switch to a biosimilar version of the drug to maintain coverage under their Equitable Life plan.  
   
   Communicating this change to plan members
   We will inform any affected plan members in early February of the need to switch their medications so that they have ample time to change their prescriptions and avoid any interruptions in treatment or coverage. 
   
   What is the difference between biologics and biosimilars?
   Biologics are drugs that are engineered using living organisms like yeast and bacteria. The first version of a biologic developed is known as the “originator” biologic. Biosimilars are highly similar to the drugs they are based on and Health Canada considers them to be equally safe and effective for approved conditions. 
   
   Questions?
   If you have any questions about this change, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager.
   
   **The list of affected drugs is dynamic and will change as Saskatchewan includes more biologic drugs in its biosimilar initiative, as new biosimilars come onto the market, and as we make changes in drug eligibility.
    

   Ontario announces 2023 biosimilar switch program*

   The government of Ontario recently announced the launch of a biosimilar initiative to switch patients from eight originator biologic drugs to biosimilar versions of the drugs.
   
   Patients in Ontario using affected originator biologic drugs will have until December 29, 2023 to switch to a biosimilar version of their medications in order to maintain coverage under the province’s public drug plans.
   
   We are actively monitoring and investigating the impact of this new policy on private drug plans in Ontario. We plan to implement changes to coverage of biologic drugs in the province in 2023 to help prevent this change from resulting in additional costs for our clients’ drug plans. We will provide more details in the coming months.
   
   If you have any questions, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager.
    

   Dental fee guide updates*

   Each year, Provincial and Territorial Dental Associations publish fee guides. 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.*** 

   Dental fee guide increases over 2022***

   
   
   ***Data for all provinces and territories was not available at the time of publication. This chart will be updated on EquitableHealth.ca as more information becomes available.
    

   Equitable Life ranks high with Canadian group advisors*

   Equitable Life ranked second nationally and first in Ontario among major insurers in a recent survey of Canadian group benefits advisors.
    
   NMG Consulting, a leading global consulting firm, conducted in-depth interviews with 130 leading group consultants, brokers and third-party administrators across the country between May and August 2022 for its annual Canadian Group Benefits Study. Based on these interviews, NMG ranked group insurers in six categories, ranging from operational management to technology.
   
   Nationally, Equitable Life ranked either first or second in four of the six main categories:
   
   Advisors in Ontario, in particular, scored Equitable Life very favourably. We ranked #1 overall in the province, finishing first in four of the six overall categories, including: Relationship Management, Operational Management, Underwriting and Claims Management and Technology.
    
   “The fact that advisors regard us so highly in so many categories is a testament to our mutual status and our ability to focus exclusively on our clients and advisors,” said Marc Avaria, Senior Vice President of Group. “We are truly working together to build strong, enduring and aligned partnerships.”
    
   “While we are happy with these results, we won’t rest on our laurels,” added Avaria. “We will continue to dedicate ourselves to providing our clients and advisors with a better benefits experience.”
   
   Here are more of the highlights from this year’s results:
    
   Nationally, we ranked first in all 10 subcategories in Operational Management, including:
   • Overall service to intermediaries,
   • Overall service to plan sponsors,
   • New quote process,
   • Plan implementation,
   • Renewal process,
   • Information shared at renewal,
   • Accuracy and timeliness of reporting and billing,
   • Administration quality and responsiveness,
   • Taking ownership and
   • Management information quality and availability.
   We also ranked first in Relationship Management, getting top marks in 7 of 10 subcategories, including:
   • Company relationship management,
   • Ease of doing business,
   • Account executive capability,
   • Market knowledge,
   • Visit/call quality,
   • Effective coordination and
   • Advice.
   We ranked second in Underwriting and Claims Management, finishing in the top three for all subcategories, including:
   • Fairness and timeliness of disability claims (1^st)
   • Fairness and timeliness of health claims (2^nd)
   • Fraud management (2^nd)
   • Competitiveness of pooling charges (2^nd)
   • Group underwriting flexibility (3^rd)
   • Health and dental TLR competitiveness (3^rd)
   And we ranked second in Technology, finishing in the top three for:
   • Overall technology – Intermediary (2^nd)
   • Member experience (2^nd)
   * Indicates content that will be shared with your clients.
    
7. EAMG market commentary
    

   March 11, 2022
   
   Since Russia first invaded the Ukraine, there’s been no shortage of headlines and commentaries trying to make sense of the situation. This is a tragedy that from a humanitarian standpoint that can’t be made sense of and our hearts go out to the people of Ukraine and those impacted. From a market standpoint, the common thinking is that geopolitical risks, aka war, historically haven’t been associated with significant corrections in the market. So far, the market reaction has been consistent with the historical experience, with the S&P 500 down only about 1% since the start of the conflict and the S&P/TSX Composite Index up close to 4%, despite the heightened daily volatility.
   
   Given the obvious challenges of predicting how these types of conflicts play out, we look to financial market indicators to give us a better sense of the potential risks in the market. And in this respect, the most obvious indicator is oil. Since the start of the Russian invasion, oil has rallied roughly 18%, which is even more impressive considering it had already rallied 21% from the start of the year to the beginning of the conflict.
   
   While we don’t know what will happen to energy markets over the coming weeks, we do know that oil shocks can result in higher inflation and sometimes lower growth. Inflation was already rising, although strategists generally viewed this as temporary on the expectation that the covid related supply chain disruptions and reopening pressures were the primary causes that would eventually self-correct. But as the Russian-Ukraine conflict intensifies, consensus views are moving towards inflation becoming more structural in nature. There are growing risks this will change consumer behaviour, causing inflation to be longer lasting than initially expected. Much of this has to do with the fact that as the world’s 3rd largest exporter of oil, Russia has taken a material amount of oil production capacity offline, resulting in significantly higher oil and gas prices. This also explains the significant outperformance of energy equities, and the broader S&P/TSX Composite Index vs US counterparts on a YTD basis.
   
   While there are beneficiaries to higher oil prices, the consumer certainly isn’t one of them given gas prices reflect movements in the oil market. So far in 2022 prices paid at the pump have gone up 30%, one of the fastest paces on record. This, in addition to food price increases, will put strain on the consumer as higher bills divert dollars away from discretionary spending and potentially slow economic growth.
   
   The other factor we’re closely watching is the overall health of the European economy, to which Russia supplies about 40% of Europe’s natural gas, 25% of their oil imports and 45% of their coal imports. While the European Commission has indicated plans to cuts their dependence on Russian energy well before 2030, the short-term impacts will be costly as Europe and other global markets see higher energy prices follow. As well, food prices will likely become an issue for the region given the interruption of supply out of the Black Sea which has driven grain and oilseed prices to levels not seen since 2008. Investors to date have priced in significant risk, evidenced by the performance of the Stoxx 50 which is down 17% YTD, one of the worst performing markets across the global universe.
   
   While commodity prices are just one indicator, we are mindful that they could be telling us inflation may be more persistent than previously expected. From a long-term perspective this hasn’t changed our view of the equity market. As a result of potential near term impacts however, we have reduced our exposure to European markets in favour of the Canadian market and as well we have added inflation and risk hedges with sector allocations to energy, consumer staples and utilities, while still maintaining our overall long-term target levels to equities. There is no direct exposure to Russia in any of the three Equitable Life Active Balanced Portfolios which includes Equitable Life Active Balanced Growth Portfolio Select, Equitable Life Active Balanced Portfolio Select and Equitable Life Active Balanced Income Portfolio Select.

   
   Downloadable Copy

   Any statements contained herein that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements represent the portfolio manager’s best judgment as of the present date as to what may occur in the future. However, forward-looking statements are subject to many risks, uncertainties and assumptions, and are based on the portfolio manager’s present opinions and views. For this reason, the actual outcome of the events or results predicted may differ materially from what is expressed. Furthermore, the portfolio manager’s views, opinions or assumptions may subsequently change based on previously unknown information, or for other reasons. Equitable Life of Canada® assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained herein. The reader is cautioned to consider these and other factors carefully and not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Investments may increase or decrease in value and are invested at the risk of the investor. Investment values change frequently, and past performance does not guarantee future results. Professional advice should be sought before an investor embarks on any investment strategy.

8. [pdf] Custom Quote - DIA/GIA
9. 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.
   Extra HR support for your clients
   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.
   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
   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.