Guide
Health classes explained
The four main rate classes, what they mean, and what puts an applicant in each one.
Carriers use rate classes to price term coverage. The names differ a bit between companies, but the tiers are the same: Preferred Plus (sometimes called Super Preferred or Preferred Best), then Preferred, Standard Plus, and Standard, with additional table ratings for applicants at higher risk. Smokers and tobacco users fall into a separate set of classes that cost more.
What underwriters look at
Body weight and height, blood pressure and cholesterol, whether anyone in your family had heart disease or cancer before 60, your driving record, what you take by prescription, your job and hobbies, and any tobacco or nicotine use. The highest class needs nearly spotless marks across all of these. Preferred allows more leeway. Standard Plus and Standard accept managed conditions like blood pressure on medication.
How to use the quote tool
The health question asks you to pick which description fits you best: Excellent points to Preferred Plus, Very good to Preferred, Good to Standard Plus, and Average to Standard. Your quotes are built on that class. The carrier sets the actual class after reviewing everything. Not sure? Quote two different classes and see the difference, then pick one for the application. An inflated class does not reduce what you actually pay—it just makes the estimate wrong.
Some carriers have softer guidelines for specific conditions than others. Susman Insurance Agency can help you find carriers that work with your situation, which often matters more than comparing headline rates.