MyHTSpace Benefits Management: How to Manage Your Benefits

MyHTSpace Benefits section is where you control all your insurance and retirement benefits.

Key Functions

✅ View Current Benefits – See what you’re enrolled in

✅ Enroll in Benefits – During open enrollment or when hired

✅ Manage Health Insurance – Choose plans, view coverage

✅ Manage 401(k) – Check balance, change contribution

✅ Designate Beneficiaries – Who gets life insurance

✅ Find Doctors – Search in-network providers

✅ Access Wellness Programs – Join health challenges

✅ Download Benefit Documents – Insurance cards, summaries

✅ Make Life Event Changes – Marriage, baby, divorce

Viewing Current Benefits

Accessing Your Benefits Summary

Step 1: Login to MyHTSpace Step 2: Click “Benefits” in main menu Step 3: Click “View Current Benefits” or “Benefits Summary” Step 4: You’ll see everything you’re enrolled in

What You’ll See

Health Insurance:

  • Plan name (PPO, HMO, etc.)
  • Deductible amount
  • Copay information
  • Out-of-pocket maximum
  • Effective date
  • Coverage status

Dental Insurance:

  • Plan name
  • Type of coverage
  • Annual max (if applicable)
  • Effective date

Vision Insurance:

  • Coverage details
  • Eye exam coverage
  • Glasses/contacts allowance
  • Effective date

Life Insurance:

  • Coverage amount
  • Type (basic or supplemental)
  • Beneficiary name
  • Effective date

401(k) Retirement:

  • Current balance
  • Contribution percentage
  • Company match info
  • Investment options selected

Disability Insurance:

  • Short-term disability (if enrolled)
  • Long-term disability (if enrolled)
  • Coverage percentage
  • Waiting period

Downloading Your Benefits Summary

To download:

  1. Click “Download” or “PDF”
  2. File saves to computer
  3. Good to keep for records

To print:

  1. Click “Print”
  2. Select printer
  3. Have paper copy

Benefit Enrollment

When Can You Enroll?

As a New Employee:

  • Window: Usually first 30 days of employment
  • What to do: Enroll during this period
  • If you miss deadline: Contact HR about special enrollment

Open Enrollment:

  • Timing: Usually October-November
  • Duration: Usually 1-2 weeks
  • What to do: Review plans and make choices for upcoming year
  • Effective date: Usually January 1

Qualifying Life Events:

  • Getting married
  • Having a baby
  • Losing other insurance
  • Divorce
  • Change in employment
  • Significant life change

How to Enroll

Step 1: Go to Benefits Section

  • Login to MyHTSpace
  • Click “Benefits”
  • Click “Enroll” or “Benefits Enrollment”

Step 2: Review Available Plans

  • Health insurance options (PPO, HMO, HDHP, etc.)
  • Dental plans
  • Vision plans
  • Life insurance options
  • See detailed info on each

Step 3: Make Your Selections

  • Choose your health plan
  • Choose dental plan
  • Choose vision plan
  • Add dependents (if applicable)
  • Fill in family information

Step 4: Review Beneficiaries

  • Who gets life insurance payout
  • Percentages for each person
  • Make sure it’s current and correct

Step 5: Review Contribution Details

  • How much you’ll pay per paycheck
  • 401(k) contribution percentage
  • FSA/HSA amounts
  • Review carefully

Step 6: Confirm and Submit

  • Review everything one more time
  • Click “Confirm” or “Submit”
  • You get confirmation email
  • Enrollment complete

If You Make a Mistake During Enrollment

During open enrollment:

  • You can usually go back and change
  • Until deadline passes
  • After deadline, locked in for year

If you miss the deadline:

  • Call HR
  • Explain the situation
  • Sometimes they allow late changes
  • Depends on company policy

Understanding Health Plans

The three main plan types you might see:

PPO (Preferred Provider Organization)

What it is: Most flexible option

How it works:

  • Can see any doctor (in-network is cheaper)
  • Don’t need referrals for specialists
  • Can self-refer to specialists

Costs:

  • Lower to moderate premium
  • Higher deductible ($500-$1,500)
  • Copays: $25-$50 per visit
  • Specialist copay: $50-$100

Best for: People who want flexibility, see specialists frequently

HMO (Health Maintenance Organization)

What it is: Lower cost, more restrictive

How it works:

  • Must choose primary care doctor
  • Need referral from PCP for specialists
  • Must stay in-network (or pay more)
  • All care coordinated through PCP

Costs:

  • Lower premium
  • Lower/no deductible
  • Low copays ($15-$25)
  • Specialist copay: $30-$50

Best for: Healthy people who want low costs, don’t mind PCP coordination

HDHP (High Deductible Health Plan)

What it is: Low premium, high deductible, but you get HSA

How it works:

  • Very low premium
  • High deductible ($1,500-$2,500)
  • You save money in HSA
  • Company contributes to HSA
  • Use HSA funds for medical expenses

Costs:

  • Lowest premium
  • High deductible
  • After deductible, usually 80-90% covered
  • Copays after deductible met

Best for: Healthy people who can handle high deductible, want to save money tax-free

Comparing Plans

When choosing:

  1. Think about your health needs
  2. How often do you see doctor?
  3. Do you have chronic conditions?
  4. Can you handle higher deductible?
  5. Calculate total annual cost (premium + likely deductibles/copays)

Managing Beneficiaries

What is a Beneficiary?

A beneficiary is someone who gets money if something happens to you (like life insurance payout).

Designating Beneficiaries

Step 1: Go to Benefits section

Step 2: Click “Beneficiary Designation” or “Life Insurance”

Step 3: See current beneficiaries

Step 4: Click “Edit” or “Add Beneficiary”

Step 5: Enter beneficiary information:

  • Full name
  • Relationship to you
  • SSN (usually required)
  • Percentage (how much they get)

Step 6: Save changes

Who Should Be Your Beneficiary?

Common choices:

  • Spouse
  • Children
  • Parent
  • Sibling
  • Trusted friend

Important: Make sure it’s someone you trust and who would actually benefit from the money.

Changing Beneficiaries

When to update:

  • Getting married
  • Having a baby
  • Divorce
  • Death of beneficiary
  • Relationship changes
  • Want to change distribution

How to:

  1. Go to Beneficiary Designation
  2. Click “Edit”
  3. Remove old beneficiary
  4. Add new beneficiary
  5. Adjust percentages
  6. Save

401(k) Management

Checking Your Balance

In MyHTSpace:

  1. Click “Benefits” → “401(k)” or “Retirement”
  2. See:
    • Current balance
    • Year-to-date contributions
    • Investment performance
    • Company match received

Changing Your Contribution

When you can change:

  • During open enrollment
  • Anytime throughout the year (usually)
  • After qualifying life event

How to:

  1. Click “401(k)” or “Retirement Plans”
  2. Click “Change Contribution”
  3. Enter new percentage (e.g., 5%, 10%)
  4. See how it affects your paycheck
  5. Confirm and save
  6. Takes effect next pay period

Understanding Your Investment Options

Most 401(k)s offer:

  • Stock funds – Higher risk, higher potential return
  • Bond funds – Lower risk, lower return
  • Money market – Very safe, low return
  • Target date funds – Mix of stocks/bonds based on retirement year

Honest tip: If you don’t know what to pick, choose “Target Date [Year You Turn 65]” fund. It’s simple and diversified.

Employer Match

How it works:

  • Harris Teeter matches a percentage of what you contribute
  • Usually 50% of first 6% you contribute
  • Example: You contribute 6%, they add 3%
  • Free money if you contribute at least 6%

Viewing Performance

Where to see:

  • 401(k) section shows your gains/losses
  • If market is down, your balance might decrease
  • This is normal – long term it goes up
  • Don’t panic on bad market days

Finding Doctors & Hospitals

Using the Provider Search Tool

Step 1: Go to Benefits section

Step 2: Click “Find a Provider” or “Provider Search”

Step 3: Select your health plan

Step 4: Enter search criteria:

  • Doctor name or location
  • Doctor specialty (if looking for specialist)
  • Hospital name
  • Pharmacy

Step 5: Results show in-network providers

Step 6: Verify they’re in-network (lower cost)

Step 7: Get their address/phone

Step 8: Call to make appointment

In-Network vs Out-of-Network

In-Network:

  • You pay less (insurance negotiated lower rates)
  • Copay applies
  • Insurance covers most of cost

Out-of-Network:

  • You pay more (no negotiated rates)
  • Higher deductible
  • Insurance pays less
  • Use in-network when possible

Telehealth Options

Many plans now offer virtual visits:

  • Doctor visit by video/phone
  • Often lower cost than in-person
  • Good for minor issues
  • Check your plan details

Wellness Programs

What Are Wellness Programs?

Harris Teeter offers programs to help you stay healthy:

Health Screenings:

  • Free annual checkup
  • Blood pressure check
  • Blood work
  • Weight/BMI check

Fitness Programs:

  • Gym membership discounts
  • Fitness classes
  • Wellness challenges
  • Steps/activity tracking

Mental Health:

  • Free counseling sessions
  • Stress management
  • Work-life balance support

Wellness Rewards:

  • Points for healthy activities
  • Redeem for discounts/merchandise
  • Incentive to stay healthy

Joining Wellness Programs

To participate:

  1. Click “Wellness” in Benefits
  2. View available programs
  3. Click “Join” or “Enroll”
  4. Complete any required steps
  5. Start earning rewards

Typical activities:

  • Complete health screening (50 points)
  • Gym visit (25 points)
  • Wellness class attendance (25 points)
  • Health challenge participation (up to 100 points)

Making Changes to Your Benefits

When You Can Make Changes

Anytime:

  • Beneficiary designation
  • Personal information
  • Emergency contacts

During open enrollment:

  • Health plan choice
  • Dental plan choice
  • Vision plan choice
  • Life insurance
  • FSA/HSA amounts
  • 401(k) contribution

After qualifying event:

  • Birth/adoption of child
  • Marriage/divorce
  • Loss of other insurance
  • Significant change in life

How to Make Changes

For anytime changes:

  1. Go to Benefits section
  2. Find what you want to change
  3. Click “Edit”
  4. Make changes
  5. Click “Save”

For enrollment period changes:

  1. Wait for open enrollment window
  2. Go to “Benefit Enrollment”
  3. Make selections
  4. Click “Submit”
  5. Changes effective next year

Confirming Your Changes

After making changes:

  • You should see confirmation message
  • Check email for confirmation
  • Contact HR if you don’t get confirmation
  • Save confirmation email for records

Special Situations

Adding Dependents

When you have a baby:

  1. Get birth certificate
  2. Go to Benefits in MyHTSpace
  3. Click “Add Dependent”
  4. Enter child’s information
  5. Add to health plan (usually auto-added)
  6. Make sure they’re covered

When you get married:

  1. Get marriage certificate
  2. Go to MyHTSpace
  3. Update personal information
  4. Add spouse as dependent
  5. They’re eligible for benefits (usually)
  6. Check open enrollment or special enrollment

Losing Other Insurance

If you had insurance through spouse’s job and lose it:

  1. This is a “qualifying event”
  2. You get special enrollment window (usually 30-60 days)
  3. Contact HR to start process
  4. Can enroll outside of open enrollment
  5. Benefits typically start next month

Divorce

If you get divorced:

  1. Inform HR immediately
  2. Update beneficiary on life insurance
  3. Consider plan changes
  4. Spouse likely loses coverage
  5. You may need different plan

FAQ’S

When does open enrollment happen?

Usually October-November each year for January 1 effective date. Check your company calendar or HR.

What if I miss open enrollment?

You’re locked in with your current plan for the year. You can only change after qualifying life event or next open enrollment (unless company has special circumstances policy).

Can I change my health plan mid-year?

Only if you have a qualifying life event. Otherwise, you’re locked in until next open enrollment.

How much does health insurance cost?

Varies by plan and company subsidy. Check your paycheck deduction. Costs split between you and Harris Teeter.

What if I lose my job?

You might be eligible for COBRA (keep insurance but you pay full cost). Contact HR for details.

Are dependents covered at birth?

Usually yes – babies are typically covered immediately. Check your plan details.

What if my doctor is out-of-network?

You pay more (higher deductible). Try to find in-network doctor. Or file claim after paying out-of-pocket.

How do I see my insurance card?

Usually can download digital card from MyHTSpace. Many insurances also have mobile apps where you can pull up digital card.

What’s my deductible?

Check your benefits summary or insurance card. It’s the amount you pay before insurance starts covering.

Can I switch plans anytime?

No, only during open enrollment or after qualifying events. Outside these times, you’re locked in.