Guide
Health classes explained
What Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard really mean, and what pushes you from one to another.
Pricing in term insurance revolves around rate class. Each company uses slightly different names, but they all climb the same ladder: Preferred Plus (some call it Super Preferred or Preferred Best), Preferred, Standard Plus, then Standard, and for high-risk situations, table ratings above that. People who use tobacco have their own stepped classes, all at higher prices.
What underwriters look at
Body size, blood pressure and cholesterol numbers, whether anyone in your family had a heart attack or cancer before age 60, your driving history, what drugs you take, what you do for work and fun, and any tobacco or nicotine use. Top class wants nearly everything clean; Preferred is a bit looser; Standard Plus and Standard accept things that are managed, like blood pressure on medicine.
How to use the quote tool
When the form asks about your health, be truthful: Excellent points to Preferred Plus, Very good to Preferred, Good to Standard Plus, and Average to Standard. The quote will be for that class; the carrier double-checks and sets the real class later. Unclear? Quote yourself at two classes and see the numbers, then let the underwriting decide which fits. Lying to get a lower quote doesn't work—the carrier just rejects the policy, and your real premium doesn't go down anyway.
When you have a specific health situation, Susman Insurance Agency can point you toward carriers whose underwriting rules are more forgiving—and that often makes a bigger difference than the advertised rate.