Guide
Health classes explained
Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus, and Standard: what these ratings signify and which factors shift your placement.
Carriers organize term life pricing by rate class. Though labels shift slightly between insurers, the hierarchy stays the same: Preferred Plus (sometimes Super Preferred or Preferred Best), Preferred, Standard Plus, and Standard, plus stepped ratings for elevated risk. Tobacco users face a separate scale at raised rates.
What underwriters look at
Carriers review height and weight, blood pressure and cholesterol, family heart or cancer disease before age 60, driving record, pharmacy history, line of work, pastimes, and any tobacco or nicotine use. Top classes demand mostly clean marks; Preferred allows some deviation; Standard Plus and Standard accept managed conditions like controlled hypertension.
How to use the quote tool
The health prompt asks for candor about yourself: Excellent aligns with Preferred Plus, Very good with Preferred, Good with Standard Plus, and Average with Standard. Quotes match that rating; the carrier finalizes the class post-underwriting. Uncertain? Quote at two levels, weigh them, and let underwriting settle it. Overstating your health doesn't reduce the final cost; it just skews your estimate.
Susman Insurance Agency helps identify carriers with lenient policies on particular situations, often more valuable than the advertised price.