Guide
Health classes explained
What Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard mean, and how you fit into the categories.
Term pricing hinges on rate class. Though different carriers use slightly different titles, the structure is the same: Preferred Plus (sometimes labeled Super Preferred or Preferred Best), Preferred, Standard Plus, Standard, then table ratings for extra risk. A separate class ladder applies to tobacco users, all at higher premiums.
What underwriters look at
Body composition, blood pressure, lipid levels, family heart or cancer history in relatives under 60, how you drive, medications you take, what you do for work and recreation, and any nicotine use all factor in. Preferred Plus asks for clean results in nearly every area; Preferred is less strict; Standard Plus and Standard accommodate well-managed issues like medicated hypertension.
How to use the quote tool
Your honest health self-assessment translates this way: Excellent typically means Preferred Plus rates, Very good gets Preferred, Good points to Standard Plus, and Average indicates Standard. The quotes you see match that class; the carrier's final decision comes after underwriting. Stuck between two? Quote both and see the difference, or let the underwriting settle it. An inflated self-assessment won't lower your premium—it just makes your estimate less realistic.
When you have a particular health situation, Susman Insurance Agency can point you to carriers with underwriting that suits your profile—often a bigger factor in the bottom line than the published advertised rate.