Open Enrollment is Oct 16 – Nov 3, 2023
You serve Harris County, and Harris County is here to serve you with great benefits. Make sure you’re taking full advantage of the many benefits available to you. During the October 16 – November 3 open enrollment period, you can:
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Change your medical plan option
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Add or drop covered dependents*
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Enroll or disenroll in dependent care and/or health FSAs to make your 2024 contributions
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Purchase or discontinue optional life insurance or optional long-term disability
*Court-ordered dependents require a termination of medical support notice to be dropped. Dependents added during open enrollment will be covered beginning December 30, 2023. Dependents dropped during open enrollment will be covered through December 29, 2023. Any plan and optional benefits changes during open enrollment become effective January 1, 2024.
Beginning with the 2024 plan year, our medical insurance carrier will switch to Aetna. Our Base and Plus plans remain the same and there’s no change in the premium amounts for employees.
Enrollment is all online through STARS Employee Self-Service at stars-hr.hctx.net, which you can only access from within the Harris County network.
Know Your Options
Medical, dental, vision, financial and wellness benefits are all available to you. For medical plans, you can choose a Base Plan or a Plus Plan.
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The Base Plan is designed to keep your monthly costs low through higher deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums. You’ll pay more for services that you use, but you’ll pay the lowest premiums.
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With the Plus Plan, you’ll pay a higher monthly premium, but your deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums and costs for services will be lower.
Again, though our medical insurance carrier will switch to Aetna, there is no change in the premium amounts. You can find a side-by-side comparison of the medical plans and details on all benefits in the 2024 Employee Benefits Guide.
Find Answers Now
Use this link to Aetna to learn more about our transition to Aetna. You can also call 1-800-288-6481 to speak with a member of the Aetna team.
We’re Here to Help
In addition to your Employee Benefits Guide, you can get more information on plans and programs, and get your questions answered, by joining us remotely for a Virtual Enrollment Meeting.
You can also contact the Benefits & Wellness team:
713-274-5500
benefits@harriscountytx.gov
benefitsathctx.com
All Virtual Enrollment Meetings are recorded. Click on any date to watch or re-watch the webinar.
In-Person Employee OE Booths
September 25
10:00 – 11:00 AM
103 - Comm. Pct. 3
George Bush Community Center
6827 Cypresswood Drive
Spring, TX 77379
September 25
3:30 – 4:30 PM
90/30 - Flood Control
Michael Talbott Service Center
522 Prairie Oak
Houston, TX 77067
September 26
3:00 – 4:00 PM
550 - District Clerk's Office
1201 Congress Street
Jury Room #3
Houston, TX 77002
September 26
8:00 – 9:00 AM
104 - Comm. Pct. 4
Tomball Service Center
14444 Holderrieth Road
Tomball, TX 77377
September 27
12:00 – 1:00 PM
212 - HR&RM
1111 Fannin Street
Houston, TX 77002
Basement Conference Room
September 28
10:00 – 11:00 AM
840, 841 & 842 - Juvenile Probation Department
1200 Congress Street
Houston, TX 77002
1st Floor Training Room
September 28
1:00 – 2:00 PM
104 - Comm. Pct. 4
Radack Community Center
18650 Clay Road
Houston, TX 77084
September 29
1:00 – 2:00 PM
90/30 - Flood Control
Main Building 9900
Northwest Freeway
Houston, TX 77092
October 2
12:00 – 1:00 PM
510 & 288 - County Attorney's Office
1019 Congress Street
Houston, TX 77002
9 (Basement Conference Room)
October 4
1:00 – 2:00 PM
540, 541 & 542 - Sheriff's Department
Emergency Dispatch Center
3000 E. Aldine Amphitheatre
Houston, TX 77039
(Multipurpose Room)
October 5
1:00 - 2:00 PM
540, 541 & 542 - Sheriff's Department
1200 Baker Jail
1200 Baker Street
Houston, TX 77002
(1st Floor Conference Room)
October 9
9:00 – 10:00 AM
540, 541 & 542 - Sheriff's Department
HCSO Academy
2316 Atascocita Road
Humble, TX 77396
(Classroom #3)
October 9
12:00 – 1:00 PM
50 - Toll Road
Wilshire Location
7701 Wilshire Place Drive
Houston, TX 77040
October 10
12:00 – 1:00 PM
50 - Toll Road
Westside Service EZ Tag/Call Center
2901 W. Sam Houston Parkway
Suite 100
Houston, TX 77043
October 10
3:30 – 4:30 PM
90/30 - Flood Control
South Service Center
5301 Almeda Genoa Road
Houston, TX 77048
October 11
9:00 – 10:00 AM
102 & 105 - Comm. Pct. 2
East Harris County Activity Center
7340 Spencer Highway
Pasadena, TX 77505
Employee Virtual OE Meetings
In-Person Retiree Meetings
CANCELED
October 11
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
102 & 105 - Comm. Pct. 2
East Harris County Activity Center
7340 Spencer Highway
Pasadena, TX 77505
October 16
12:00 – 1:30 PM
101 - Comm. Pct. 1
Tom Bass Community Center
15108 Cullen Boulevard
Houston, TX 77047
October 19
10:00 – 11:30 AM
104 - Comm. Pct. 4
Glazier Senior Education Center
16600 Pine Forest Lane
Houston, TX 77084
October 23
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
103 - Comm. Pct. 3
George Bush Community Center
6827 Cypresswood Drive
Spring, TX 77379
Get Ready
The open enrollment period is October 16 – November 3, 2023, so you need to be ready to act then. Enrollment is all online through STARS Employee Self-Service at stars-hr.hctx.net.
That’s where you’ll go to make your benefit selections, add/drop your dependents, upload documentation and more. Remember, STARS is only accessible from within the Harris County network.
Get a Head Start
If you’re adding dependents, you don’t have to wait for the open enrollment period to get started. You can gather your documentation now and have it ready for upload when you log in to STARS Employee Self-Service during the open enrollment period. If you need technical assistance accessing STARS Employee Self-Service, please contact the Universal Services Helpdesk at 713-274-4444.
Need Additional Help?
Download the STARS ESS Open Enrollment Job Aid or the Beneficiary Job Aid for a step-by-step guide on the entire 2024 Open Enrollment process.
Dependents without supporting documentation uploaded in STARS will not be added to your plan. Please upload documentation by October 31, 2023.