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  1. Advisor Guide
  2. Equitable Life Group Benefits Bulletin – November 2020

    In this issue:

    *Indicates content that will be shared with your clients

    Telemedicine now included in Travel Assist*

    Medical emergencies can be particularly stressful while travelling. Making your way to a medical facility can be a struggle. And once you get there, you could face long wait times, language barriers or even the risk of COVID-19 infection.

    That’s why Allianz Global Assistance®, our Travel Assist provider, is adding two new virtual care options to provide plan members with timely and appropriate medical support.

    As always, when a travel medical emergency strikes, plan members call Allianz for assistance. During the intake process plan members will be guided through a series of questions to triage their unique medical situation. Options for care now include two different virtual care services:

    • TeleConsultation – Video and chat consultation with a locally licensed physician. This physician can diagnose simple medical conditions and provide a prescription. Available across Canada and in some high travel states in the United States.
    • TeleAdvice – Video and chat consultation for situations which are not likely to require a prescription. The physician can diagnose simple medical conditions and provide medical guidance.

    Plan members who use virtual care may benefit from:

    • Reduced wait times;
    • Care from the comfort of their current location;
    • Reduced language barriers;
    • No need to arrange transportation to a medical facility;
    • Reduced impact on travel itinerary; and
    • Reduced risk of exposure.

    Both TeleConsultation and TeleAdvice will be available for all Equitable Life plan members beginning January 1st, 2021. There is no additional cost, no changes required to your client’s plans, and no change to the way plan members contact Allianz in the event of a travel medical emergency.

    This PDF plan member update will also be included in the eNews to plan administrators.

    If you have any questions about these new features, please contact your Equitable Life Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager.

    Allianz Global Assistance is a registered business name of AZGA Service Canada Inc. and AZGA Insurance Agency Canada Ltd.

    Help your clients take advantage of our convenient digital options*

    During this time of physical distancing, people are looking for ways to interact with their providers virtually. We recently enhanced our Online Plan Member Enrolment tool, allowing all groups to add new plan members without the need for paper forms.

    Did you know, we have several other digital options available to make it easier for your clients to do business with us and for their plan members to access and use their benefits plan? Over 71% of plan administrators are managing their plan online and 78% of plan members are already using our digital tools.

    For plan administrators:

    • Plan Administrator Portal (EquitableHealth.ca) – plan administrators can easily manage their plan anytime and anywhere
    • Digital Welcome Kits – personalized welcome kits are delivered to plan members via email
    • Easy automated payments – plan administrators can avoid missed payments by setting up pre-authorized debit or electronic funds transfer 

    For plan members:

    • Plan Member Portal (EquitableHealth.ca) – plan members get secure, 24/7 access to their claims history, coverage details and health and wellness resources
    • Electronic Claim Payments and Notifications – plan members can get claim updates sooner in their email inbox and payments right into their bank account
    • EZClaim Mobile App – submitting claims from a mobile device is fast, easy and secure
    • Digital Benefits Cards – plan members no longer have to dig through their wallet – they can download their benefits card on their mobile device

    Learn more about how we’re making it easier for your clients to do business with us

    2021 changes to Maximum Insurable Earnings, Maximum Weekly Insurable Earnings and Short Term Disability Benefit*

    The Canada Employment Insurance Commission and Canada Revenue Agency have announced the 2021 changes to Maximum Insurable Earnings, and premiums for employment insurance. These changes take effect January 1st, 2021.

    Maximum Insurable Earnings (MIE)

    The MIE will increase from $54,200 to $56,300.

    Maximum Weekly Insurable Earnings (MWIE)

    The MWIE will increase from $1,042 to $1,083.

    EI Benefit (55% of the MWIE, rounded to the nearest dollar)

    EI benefit will increase from $573 to $595

    Information for Plan sponsors

    If your client’s Group Policy with Equitable Life includes a Short Term Disability (STD) benefit which is tied to the EI MWIE, and at least one classification of employees has less than a $595 maximum:

    • To comply with the provisions of their policy, their STD benefit will be revised with the maximums updated based on the percentage of EI MEIW shown in their policy.
    • The additional premium for any increase from their previous STD amounts and new STD amounts will be show on their January 2021 Group Insurance Billing (as applicable).

    If their STD maximum is currently higher than $595 or based on a flat amount (not based on 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 have questions about the process, they can email Kari Gough, Manager, Group Quotes and Issue.

     

    *Indicates content that will be shared with your clients

  3. Life Policy Collateral Loans
  4. Policy Title Changes
  5. August 2019 Advisor eNews

    Coming soon:

    Tech updates for plan members

    Technology doesn’t stand still, and neither does your clients' businesses. That’s why we continually invest in technology to make things easier for your clients and their employees.

    Faster claims processing on Equitable EZClaim® Mobile

    Equitable Life now provides real-time processing of massage therapy, physiotherapy and chiropractor claims submitted via the EZClaim Mobile app.

    That means plan members are able to find out the status of their claim almost instantaneously. And, for approved claims, they will receive payment even sooner - often in as little as 24 hours.

    In order to allow for instantaneous processing and faster payment, plan members will be prompted to enter some additional information including the practitioner’s name, the date of the expense, and the type and amount of the expense, when submitting their claims for these services.

    Equitable Life plan members can submit all types of health and dental claims via EZClaim Mobile, including co-ordination of benefits and Health Care Spending Account claims. Currently, 43% of all claims are submitted through the user-friendly app.

    AS part of our ongoing efforts to improve the mobile claims experience for plan members, we've also added biometric login functionality to allow plan members to sign in to the app using their face or fingerprint. And we've redesigned our landing page on the mobile app to make it easier for plan members to navigate the various features of the app.

    We will be announcing this enhancement to plan members on EquitableHealth.ca

    Introducing InpatProtect:

    Health coverage for employees who are new to Canada

    For a new employee starting to work in Canada, looking after basic health needs can be difficult.

    There’s a waiting period for provincial health coverage, and group benefits plans don’t cover the physician, hospital or emergency services that they or their eligible dependents may need during their initial months in the country. They could end up incurring significant unexpected health expenses.

    That’s why Equitable Life has launched InpatProtectTM. InpatProtect provides temporary coverage to look after the basic health needs of employees and their eligible dependents during their transition to Canada. Your clients can recruit from outside the country knowing that their employees will have some protection in the event of a medical need, including an emergency.

    For up to 90 days, InpatProtect will cover employees and their eligible dependents for basic services that would normally be reimbursed under provincial health plans, such as:

    • Physician services
      • Prescriptions for medications
      • Diagnosis and treatment for illness or injury
    • Hospital services
      • In-patient services
      • Drugs prescribed and delivered as an inpatient in-hospital
      • Out-patient services
    • Emergency services
      • Ambulance services
    • Emergency dental services

    Contact your Group Marketing Manager or myFlex Sales Manager for more information about this new product from Equitable Life.

    De-listed service providers

    As part of our ongoing initiative to have Group Benefits plans only reimburse eligible claims, we conduct reviews of the billing and administrative practices of service providers, including clinics, facilities and medical suppliers.

    As a result of these reviews we may de-list certain providers.  We will no longer accept, or process claims for services and/or supplies obtained from those providers. The plan member can still choose to obtain services or supplies from these providers, but Equitable Life will not provide reimbursement for the claims.

    Review Equitable Life’s de-listed service providers

    The delisted service provider list is also posted on EquitableHealth.ca for plan members to review to determine if their claim(s) are eligible for reimbursement under their Group Benefits plan.

    For more information about protecting group benefits plans from abuse, check out our articles.

     

     

    1 Based on Equitable Life health and dental claims submitted between January 2019 – March 2019

    Google Home and Google Assistant are registered trademarks of Google LLC.
    ® denotes a trademark of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada unless otherwise indicated.

  6. Change to the Performance Interest Options on universal life
  7. [pdf] Introducing Equitable
  8. Path to Success modules now available on EquiNet!
    The Path to Success Critical Illness course module PDFs and videos are now available on the Critical Illness EquiNet page. The Path to Success program gives you access to specialized topics about Critical Illness Insurance, why it matters for your clients, and how to make an effective sale.

    Learn about:
    - Overcoming objections to Critical Illness Insurance
    - Pivoting from other products to Critical Illness Insurance
    - How to position and design the Critical Illness solution
    …and more!

    We have made the expert information from Path to Success available to you to review at anytime. However, if you wish to earn CE credits, you may continue to access the course through our Path to Success program website.

    Questions about the program? Visit the Critical Illness page on EquiNet or contact your local wholesaler.
  9. Coming March 23, 2020 – Equimax enhancements include 60 months of flexibility to make extra deposits

    The following features will be available on Equimax Estate Builder® and Equimax Wealth Accumulator® plans!   

    Image-1-EDO-Prelaunch-Whatsnew-(1).jpg60 months of Excelerator Deposit Option (EDO) flexibility

    • Up to 60 months to make initial EDO payment or resume stopped or reduced payments. No additional underwriting required. 
    • For approved EDO amounts exceeding $150,000 annually ($12,500 monthly), clients have up to 12 months from the date the EDO application was signed or the date of the last EDO payment to make an EDO payment before a contribution cap may apply.
    • Available on all policies with an effective date of March 23, 2020 or later.


    Image-2-EDO-Prelaunch-Whatsnew.jpg
    EDO available on case ratings of 300% or less
    • If a policy already in effect has a rating over 200% and up to and including 300%, the owner can apply to add EDO provided the policy was issued under the 2017 tax rules.
    • Additional underwriting and submission of satisfactory evidence may be required.



    Image-3-EDO-Prelaunch-Whatsnew.jpgDisability Benefit Disbursement at no extra cost
    • If a life insured becomes disabled from a severe mental or physical impairment as defined in the policy contract, the owner may apply for a tax-free,* lump sum payment of up to 100% of the policy’s cash value.
    • Exclusions apply. See sample policy contract for full details, including the qualifications for the disbursement.
    • Available on all policy issued under the 2017 tax rules.



    * Tax laws are subject to change. The payment of the disability benefit disbursement may affect the adjusted cost basis (ACB) of the policy as it is considered payment of a capital benefit. Changes in ACB can affect the future taxation of the policy.

    Processing your Application
    To make the transition as smooth as possible, please take a moment to review the following transition rules.
     

  10. Feel confident and at ease with Cloud DX

    We’re making it easier for clients to access our Cloud DX services


    At Equitable®, our clients are our top priority. As part of this commitment, EquiLiving® Critical illness claimants can choose to have Cloud DX virtually monitor their vitals while they recover. This includes receiving tailored medical grade devices and six months of continuous virtual care monitoring.

    Empowering our clients
    We understand that receiving a diagnosis can be overwhelming, leaving clients feeling stressed and uncertain. Our streamlined process helps empower clients to feel more in control of their situation. Clients can feel calm and confident as they focus on their recovery.

    We’ve made the process to access the Cloud DX service easier!

    An Equitable client care specialist will:
    1. Reach out to the client when their claim has been received and explain the Cloud DX services that may help with their recovery. 
    2. Ask if they are interested in being contacted by Cloud DX to learn more and start the service if their claim is approved.
    3. Coordinate the client’s access with Cloud DX. Cloud DX will reach out to the client for an onboarding call

    Learn more

    For more information, please see the Cloud DX and Equitable advisor guide, or ask your Equitable wholesaler for more information.

    Connected Health is a trademark of Cloud Diagnostics Canada ULC. Used with permission. EquiLiving and Equitable are registered trademarks of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada.

    Cloud DX is a non-contractual benefit and may be withdrawn or changed by Equitable at any time. To be eligible for the Cloud DX offering, a claimant must have received payment on or after February 12, 2022, for a covered critical condition benefit under an EquiLiving critical illness insurance plan issued by Equitable. An early detection benefit payment does not qualify.