Guide
Health classes explained
Rate classes consist of Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard: what these tiers mean and how your health and circumstances affect your classification.
Life insurance carriers use underwriting classes for pricing term policies. Although the terminology differs slightly between companies, the framework is consistent: Preferred Plus (sometimes called Super Preferred or Preferred Elite), Preferred, Standard Plus, and Standard, with additional penalty ratings above Standard. Tobacco users occupy a separate, higher-priced tier.
What underwriters look at
Height and weight relative to your frame, blood lipids and heart rate readings, parents' and grandparents' history of serious disease before age sixty, traffic violations, current medications and supplements, work and recreational activities, and any nicotine or tobacco product use in the past year. Best classification requires favorable results in nearly every category; Preferred is somewhat forgiving; Standard Plus and Standard are designed to accommodate well-managed ongoing conditions like controlled blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
The health segment asks for an honest self-assessment: Excellent translates to Preferred Plus, Very good to Preferred, Good to Standard Plus, and Average to Standard. The quotes you see correspond to this classification; the carrier verifies and confirms the actual class during underwriting. Uncertain about your health tier? Quote both and compare the outcomes, letting the formal underwriting make the final determination. Picking a higher classification than you qualify for won't reduce your rate—it just makes the estimate less realistic.
Susman Insurance Agency has connections with carriers whose underwriting rules favor certain medical situations—which sometimes matters more than shopping for the minimum headline rate.