Guide
Health classes explained
Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus, Standard: their definitions and how applicants move between tiers.
Pricing tiers, known as rate classes, are how insurers structure term life costs. Terminology shifts by company, but the hierarchy is: Preferred Plus (sometimes Super Preferred or Best), Preferred, Standard Plus, Standard, then table ratings for elevated risk. Smokers occupy a separate tier structure at elevated pricing.
What underwriters look at
Height-to-weight ratio, BP and cholesterol numbers, cardiac or cancer history before age 60, driving violations, medication list, job category and pastimes, and smoking status. Preferred Plus demands strong numbers across almost all factors; Preferred accepts somewhat more; Standard Plus and Standard permit managed health issues like controlled high BP.
How to use the quote tool
Describe your health truthfully: Excellent = Preferred Plus, Very good = Preferred, Good = Standard Plus, Average = Standard. Quotations assume your selected class; the carrier confirms the true class following underwriting. Uncertain? Quote both brackets, compare, and let underwriting make the final decision. Inflating your health doesn't reduce the underwritten cost—it only reduces quote accuracy.
Susman Insurance Agency helps you locate carriers with underwriting standards suited to your specific situation—which can matter more than the advertised rate.