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Flexibility for a client’s ever-changing life
Term life insurance offers full and partial conversion options to meet changing needs
Life is always changing—whether a client is buying their first home, welcoming a new baby, or sending the kids off to college. While most clients think of term life insurance as a solution to meet a temporary need, they don’t necessarily consider the power of term conversion options to meet their future needs.
Full and partial conversion options can help meet a client’s needs as their life journey and insurance needs change, without having to provide proof of continued good health.
Full conversion:
• With full conversion, clients can convert all of their term coverage from their policy or rider to permanent life insurance. This allows the client to lock in a level premium rate for life.
Partial conversion:
• With a partial conversion, clients can convert a portion of their term coverage from their policy or rider to a permanent plan. This allows them to help cover off both a short-term need and also provides lifetime protection.
Did you know?
Our partial conversion with a term rider carryover is now more flexible than ever. Read more about it here!
For more information, please consult the Equitable Term Life insurance admin guide. - General Information
- General Information
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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.
- [pdf] B2B RSP Loan Product Brochure
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Help your clients this tax season with Equitable Life
It is tax time, and your clients should be receiving tax slips and deposit receipts by now. Check out the Tax Slips: A Quick Reference Guide which gives a taxation breakdown by product. Review Insights into Non-Registered Taxation that offers a detailed explanation on investment income, and why T3 tax slips generate on non-registered segregated funds. Does your client have questions about contribution limits? Retirement Income Fund minimums? or Canada pension maximums? Check out Equitable’s handy 2022 Facts & Figures guide.
Did your clients sign up for tax slips on Equitable Client Access before December 31, 2021?
If so, your clients can download or print their tax slips quickly and easily from their Equitable Client Access Inbox.
For questions, contact Equitable's Advisor Services Team Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. ET at 1.866.884.7427 or by email at savingsretirement@equitable.ca. or your Regional Investment Sales Manager. -
Tax Slips – What you need to know
It is tax time, and clients should be receiving tax slips and deposit receipts by now. Check out the Tax Slips: A Quick Reference Guide for a taxation breakdown by product and Insights into Non-Registered Taxation for a detailed explanation on investment income, and why T3 tax slips are generated on non-registered segregated funds.
Clients who registered for tax slips on Equitable Client Access before December 31, 2022, can download or print tax slips quickly and easily from their Equitable® Client Access Inbox. Advisors can download tax receipts on Document Lookup on EquiNet®.
For questions about contribution limits, Retirement Income Fund minimums and Canada pension maximums check out Equitable Life®’s helpful 2023 Facts & Figures guide.
Equitable's Advisor Services Team is available Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. ET at 1.866.884.7427 or by email at savingsretirement@equitable.ca. You can also contact your Regional Investment Sales Manager.
® denotes a trademark of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada.
Posted: February 15, 2023 -
Equitable Life Group Benefits COVID-19 Update
The test of a great partner is one who stands tall when you and your clients need to rely on them most. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we thought you might find it helpful to have a summary of where we are during this crisis.
You can download this PDF version to refer to when meeting with your clients.
We are here with you and for you
We’ve taken several steps to support you, your clients and their plan members during this crisis, including:
- Providing premium refunds for insured, non-refund Health and Dental benefits;
- Waiving the waiting period for short-term disability claimants who tested positive for COVID-19;
- Extending out-of-country travel coverage for plan members who were unable to return to Canada;
- Providing increased flexibility for premium payments; and
- Keeping you and your clients informed with timely Q&As and announcements, webinars, and insights into the impact of COVID-19 on benefits plans.
As well, to commemorate our 100th Anniversary this year, we donated $4.5 million to purchase and install a new MRI for Grand River Hospital. And we donated $50,000 – $10,000 each – to five charities in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. For more information about our celebrations, check out our website at www.equitable100.ca.
We have adjusted our business to become digital
Our business is near 100% digital, so the vast majority of our employees are now working remotely from home and are fully functional. Since the pandemic began, our IT and operations teams have digitally enhanced more than 20 different processes and services to make it easier for us to integrate with our distribution partners in this new reality.
We pride ourselves on our customer service
In 2019, our dedication to customer service was recognized with outstanding survey results.
- In a 2019 survey of customers from 15 life insurance companies,1 Equitable Life ranked #1 on the Net Promoter Score, a measure used across industries to gauge the loyalty of a firm's customer relationships; and
- A survey of Group consultants, brokers and third-party administrators 2 ranked Equitable Life in the top two insurers across all categories.
For 2020, we continue to deliver service at the same level with no disruptions during this crisis. Our Customer Care Centre remains open to support plan members and can be reached at 1.800.265.4556. And our Client Relationship Specialists are available for Plan Administrator questions and support.
We are financially strong and stable
We remain financially strong and continue to focus on meeting the needs of Canadians. At the end of the first quarter, our Life Insurance Capital Adequacy Test (LICAT) ratio is at 152.5%, well above our goal and the regulatory requirement.
As the global situation continues to evolve, rest assured that Equitable Life is unwavering in our commitments to you and the communities we serve. We are here with you and for you. Please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager if you have questions or need assistance.
1 LIMRA CxP Customer Experience Benchmarking Program, Life Insurance In-Force Experience 2019
2 NMG Consulting’s Canadian Group Benefits Survey 2019
- Advisor Guide
- [pdf] Application for Term Conversion (Guide)