Guide
Health classes explained
Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus, and Standard: what each name means and the factors that determine which class you receive.
Insurance companies assign rate classes to price term life. Company names differ slightly, but the structure is consistent: Preferred Plus (also Super Preferred or Preferred Best), Preferred, Standard Plus, and Standard, then table ratings for higher risk. Tobacco users sit in a separate class set at higher prices.
What underwriters look at
Height and weight, blood pressure and cholesterol, whether relatives had heart disease or cancer before 60, your driving record, prescription history, what you do for work and hobbies, and any tobacco or nicotine use. The best class requires clean results in almost all areas; Preferred allows some variation; Standard Plus and Standard allow managed conditions like treated high blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
The health question asks you to be truthful about yourself: Excellent matches Preferred Plus, Very good matches Preferred, Good matches Standard Plus, and Average matches Standard. Quotes show that class; the carrier confirms it during underwriting. When unsure, quote both classes and see the difference, then let the underwriting process settle it. An overoptimistic health choice does not reduce your final premium; it only makes the estimate less accurate.
Susman Insurance Agency can help you locate carriers whose standards are more favorable for your particular health situation, which often makes more difference than the published rate.