Guide
Health classes explained
Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus, and Standard: the meaning of each, and how underwriters assign them.
Insurance companies organize term life pricing into rate classes. While names differ slightly from carrier to carrier, the structure is uniform: Preferred Plus (sometimes labeled Super Preferred or Best), Preferred, Standard Plus, Standard, and then higher adjustments for elevated risk. Tobacco users face a separate, pricier set of classes.
What underwriters look at
Body build (relative to height), blood pressure, cholesterol levels, family medical history for early heart disease or cancer, driving record, medications on file, your job and activities, and any tobacco or nicotine use. The top class demands excellent marks across almost everything; Preferred allows a few minor issues; Standard Plus and Standard accept well-managed conditions like treated high blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
The health question on the quote tool asks for honest self-reporting: 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; the carrier reviews and confirms the actual class during underwriting. Uncertain? Quote two different classes to compare, then allow underwriting to set the final class. Overstating your health does not reduce your eventual premium—it only makes the current quote less reliable.
Susman Insurance Agency can help you identify carriers with more favorable guidelines for particular health situations—a factor that often outweighs a carrier's published rates.