Guide
Health classes explained
Understand the four rating levels—Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard—what each signifies and how applicants are assigned to each.
Term life insurance pricing is organized by underwriting class. Class names differ slightly between carriers, but the hierarchy is uniform: Preferred Plus (sometimes Super Preferred or Preferred Best), Preferred, Standard Plus, Standard and above that, special table ratings for elevated risk. Tobacco users are assigned to a separate class ladder with higher costs.
What underwriters look at
Underwriting considers build (height-to-weight ratio), blood pressure and lipid levels, any family history of cardiac events or cancer before age 60, your driving record, medications you take, your profession and recreational activities, and any tobacco or nicotine consumption. The highest class requires favorable findings across nearly every dimension; Preferred Class allows some variation; Standard Plus and Standard classes accept well-managed conditions like controlled blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
The health question on our quote tool works as follows: answer Excellent for Preferred Plus, Very good for Preferred, Good for Standard Plus and Average for Standard. Quotes assume that class; underwriting will confirm or adjust it. Uncertain about your class? Run quotes for two classes to compare, then let underwriting determine the final one. Overstating your health does not improve your final rate; it only skews the quote estimate.
Susman Insurance Agency can guide you to carriers with underwriting guidelines that accommodate your particular health situation, which frequently has a larger impact on your final cost than the initial headline rate.