Guide
Health classes explained
Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus, and Standard: what these mean and which factors move you between them.
Carriers sort term life prices using rate classes. Though company names differ slightly, the steps follow the same pattern: Preferred Plus (sometimes called Super Preferred or Preferred Best), Preferred, Standard Plus, and Standard, plus table ratings for greater risk. Tobacco users get their own class tiers, priced higher.
What underwriters look at
Height-to-weight ratio, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, heart disease or cancer in your family before age 60, driving record, past prescriptions, what you do for work and hobbies, and any tobacco or nicotine use. Getting the best class requires clean results across nearly everything; Preferred allows one or two small issues; Standard Plus and Standard accept managed conditions like blood pressure being treated.
How to use the quote tool
When answering the health question, describe yourself truthfully: Excellent aligns with Preferred Plus, Very good with Preferred, Good with Standard Plus, and Average with Standard. Quotes match that class; the carrier confirms the true class after underwriting. If you're uncertain, quote yourself at two different classes and compare; let the underwriting process determine where you actually land. Inflating your health doesn't reduce what you'll ultimately pay — it just makes early estimates less reliable.
Susman Insurance Agency helps you find carriers whose rules are more friendly to your specific medical situation. That often matters more than fixating on the lowest advertised rate.