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  1. [pdf] Pay Instruction Changes
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  6. Most employers staying the course on benefits during COVID-19

    With businesses suffering hardship due to COVID-19, employers are turning to you for advice on their benefits plans during these difficult times. We’ve received numerous questions from advisors about changes our clients are making to their plans during this crisis.

    So far, the vast majority of clients are standing pat and taking a wait-and-see approach. Plan amendments have been the exception – fewer than 1% of our clients have made COVID-19-related amendments as of mid-April. Almost all are clients with fewer than 50 lives.

    We know that many of our clients have experienced layoffs, but hardly any have cancelled benefits. Fewer than 0.1% have terminated benefits to date.

    Below is a snapshot of plan amendments and terminations relative to our overall block, and an overview of the types of amendments we’re seeing.






    COVID-19-related plan changes on Equitable Life’s block of business

    As of April 15, 2020
    Plan-changes.pngNature-of-amendments.png

    Have clients who need to make a change?

    We know this is a difficult time for Canadian employers. If you have a client who needs to make a change to their plan, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager. We have a range of options to help them manage, and changes can be made quickly. The average turnaround time for COVID-19-related amendments is currently about four days.

    We’re happy to work with each employer to understand the options that suit their specific situation best.

  7. Update on our service levels during the COVID-19 pandemic

    Supporting your clients and their plan members is more important than ever during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

    So, we’re providing an update on our service levels.

    We acted quickly to ensure there were no disruptions in service – most of our staff were working remotely from home and fully functional within a few days. We’ve reallocated resources from functions where volumes are down, such as dental claims, to those experiencing higher volumes. We also created a separate queue for COVID-19-related STD claims.

    As a result, we’ve been able to maintain the industry-leading service levels you have come to expect from us, and our turnaround times continue to be well within our targets.

    Here’s a summary of what you and your clients can currently expect in terms of average turnaround times:

    Service category Average Turnaround Time
    (as of April 26th)
    Customer Care Centre wait times 89% of calls answered within 20 seconds
    Responses to emails to our Service Team Within 24 hours
    Health claims 2 days
    Dental claims 2 days
    Life claims 1 day
    STD claims 4 days
    LTD claims 4 days
    Plan member updates 2 days
    New customer implementations 16 days
    COVID-19-related plan amendments 4 days
    Other plan amendments 8 days
    Quotes 2 days ahead of deadline

    We will closely monitor the situation and continue to adapt to ensure we maintain our service levels. And we will do our best to resolve any service issues that arise as quickly as possible.

    Please feel free to contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager and let us know how we’re doing.

  8. Take emotions out of investing
    Taking the emotion out of investing can be easier said then done. Most of us at one time or another have decided upon something strictly because of how we felt at the time, not because it was logical or made good financial sense. I am sure most of us have a good story to tell.

    When it comes to financial planning, you always want to encourage your clients to be a rational investor and accept that market fluctuation is part of the investment journey. Over the last few months, even the hardiest rational investor has been challenged to accept the market fluctuations. History shows us that this too, shall pass and markets will rise once more. The biggest question asked is always, when?

    While no one has a crystal ball with that answer, the best we can do is help our clients understand that when building portfolios, risk is always at the forefront of any good investment strategy. The level of risk is just one of the building blocks to constructing a financial portfolio that will see the client through good times and bad.

    Need more help? Equitable Life has created an emotional investing brochure to help your clients manage through these extraordinary times. To download a copy, click here. We have also included a template letter that you can personalize and use to reach out to your clients. To download an editable copy, click here.

     
  9. Tools to manage mental health

    As we all continue to manage the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to remind your clients of the valuable supports available to help their plan members cope through this challenging time.

    Free trusted information and COVID-19 resources

    Our partner FeelingBetterNow® is responding to the pandemic by providing trusted public resources that offer mental health support. They are available to anyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and include:

    • What to do if you’re anxious or worried about COVID-19;
    • Resources for parents and caregivers; and
    • National and Provincial Public Health resources.

    Access COVID-19 resources from FeelingBetterNow.

    FeelingBetterNow Mental Health Assessment

    In addition to these public resources, Equitable Life clients with FeelingBetterNow as part of their group benefits plan have access to online mental health resources. FeelingBetterNow can help plan members identify their risk for mental health concerns and work with their doctor on diagnosis and treatment. It’s an anonymous tool developed by mental health experts which provides:

    • Emotional and mental health assessments;
    • Practical, evidence-based tools employees and their doctor can use to assess, treat, and follow-up on emotional and mental health concerns; and
    • Convenient online access to information and effective resources.

    FeelingBetterNow is easy to use and completely anonymous. It takes less than 20 minutes to complete the assessment and view your results.

    Learn more about FeelingBetterNow, then contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager to discuss how your clients can add this service to their plan.

  10. Changes to coverage of Humira in BC BC Pharmacare recently announced it is adding Humira to the list of drugs included in its ongoing initiative to switch patients to biosimilar versions of high-cost biologics. Patients taking Humira for most conditions will be required to switch to a biosimilar version of the drug by Oct. 7, 2021 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 Humira for plan members in BC. Effective Oct. 7, 2021, claimants currently taking Humira will be required to switch to a biosimilar version of the drug to maintain coverage under their Equitable Life plan.
     
    We will be communicating this change to plan administrators later this week. And we will be communicating with affected claimants in early August 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.