Guide
Health classes explained
Learn what the tiers—Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard—represent and the factors that determine your placement among them.
insurance carriers price term life by rate class. The names vary slightly by company, but the ladder is consistent: Preferred Plus (also called Super Preferred or Preferred Best), Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard, followed by table ratings for higher-than-standard risk. Tobacco users have a parallel set of classes at higher rates.
What underwriters look at
Factors include body composition (height and weight ratio), blood pressure and cholesterol figures, family cardiovascular or cancer history before age 60, driving history, medication record, job type and leisure activities, plus smoking status. The top tier demands favorable readings across virtually all factors; Preferred permits greater latitude; Standard Plus and Standard accommodate managed conditions like controlled blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
The health question asks you to describe yourself honestly: Excellent maps to Preferred Plus, Very good to Preferred, Good to Standard Plus and Average to Standard. rate estimates reflect that class; the insurance carrier confirms the final class after underwriting. If you are unsure, rate estimate two classes and compare, then let the application decide. Choosing an optimistic class does not lower the final premium; it only makes the estimate less accurate.
Susman Insurance Agency can help you compare insurance carriers whose guidelines are friendlier to a specific condition, which often matters more than the headline rate.