Guide
Health classes explained
What the rate classes are called, what each one means, and how you end up in each one.
Each carrier uses rate classes to price term policies. The exact names differ between carriers, but the structure is the same: Preferred Plus (sometimes Super Preferred or Preferred Best), Preferred, Standard Plus, then Standard, and table ratings for applicants with bigger risks. Tobacco users are quoted in a separate track at higher premiums.
What underwriters look at
Height and weight, blood pressure and cholesterol numbers, whether anyone in your family had heart disease or cancer before age 60, your driving history, what prescriptions you take, what you do for work and leisure, and whether you use tobacco. The top class wants everything to be clean; Preferred gives you a little room; Standard Plus and Standard permit controlled conditions like managed high blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
When you answer about your health, be straightforward: Excellent maps to Preferred Plus, Very good to Preferred, Good to Standard Plus, and Average to Standard. The quotes are based on that class, and the carrier verifies it during underwriting. Unsure about where you fall? Quote in two classes and compare them. If you pick a class too high, the estimate just becomes less accurate—it does not get you a better rate.
Susman Insurance Agency can compare carriers and their underwriting rules for your particular health situation—which often makes a bigger difference in your rate than the advertised price.