Guide
Health classes explained
What Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard rate classes mean and how underwriting determines which applies.
Carriers assign rate classes to term life applicants; company names differ slightly, but the progression is uniform: Preferred Plus (sometimes Super Preferred or Preferred Best), Preferred, Standard Plus, Standard, and then table ratings for applicants with higher risk. Tobacco and nicotine users occupy a separate rate scale at higher prices.
What underwriters look at
Body mass index and proportions, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, parents' or siblings' history of early heart disease or cancer, your driving record, medications you take, your profession and pastimes, and any tobacco or nicotine. Top-tier classes demand clean results across virtually all factors; Preferred allows minor variations; Standard Plus and Standard accommodate controlled medical issues like managed high blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
The health question on the quote tool asks for your honest self-assessment: Excellent corresponds to Preferred Plus, Very good to Preferred, Good to Standard Plus, and Average to Standard. Quotes are calculated for the class you pick; underwriting confirms the final class after you apply. Uncertain about your health class? Quote at two different levels and see the results, then let underwriting determine the actual class. Overstating your health does not reduce your final premium; it just makes the initial quote less reliable.
Susman Insurance Agency can assist in identifying carriers whose underwriting standards are more accommodating to a particular health situation, and that fit often makes a bigger difference than the starting quote.