Guide
Health classes explained
Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus, and Standard: what these tiers mean and what determines which one you land in.
Carriers organize term life pricing into rate classes. The exact labels differ from company to company, but they follow a similar hierarchy: Preferred Plus (sometimes labeled Super Preferred or Preferred Best), Preferred, Standard Plus, and Standard, with additional table ratings for applicants who are higher risk. Tobacco users occupy a separate tier with higher rates.
What underwriters look at
Body mass index, blood pressure and cholesterol numbers, whether heart disease or cancer shows up in your family before age 60, your driving record, your prescription medications, your job and hobbies, and any tobacco or nicotine use. The top class wants clean results on nearly everything; Preferred gives some room; Standard Plus and Standard accept things like well-managed high blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
When you answer the health question, be truthful about where you fall: Excellent aligns with Preferred Plus, Very good with Preferred, Good with Standard Plus, and Average with Standard. The quotes you see reflect the class you pick, and the carrier will confirm your actual class during underwriting. If you're unsure which bucket you fit, run quotes for two different classes to see the comparison; the application will determine the real class later. Picking a rosier class won't change your final premium—it'll just make the estimates you see less realistic.
Susman Insurance Agency can help you find carriers whose underwriting guidelines are more flexible for your particular health situation, and that can matter more than the advertised rate.