Guide
Health classes explained
Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus, and Standard: what each category means and what factors move you up or down the ladder.
Insurers price term life by rate class. Classes differ slightly between companies but follow a consistent ladder: Preferred Plus (sometimes called Super Preferred or Elite), Preferred, Standard Plus, and Standard, followed by surcharges for higher-risk cases. Tobacco users have a separate set of classes at higher costs.
What underwriters look at
Build (height and weight), blood pressure and lipid levels, immediate family cardiac or cancer history before age 60, driving history, medicine cabinet inventory, occupation and hobbies, and any tobacco or nicotine consumption. Preferred Plus needs near-perfect marks across the board; Preferred allows minor variations; Standard Plus and Standard allow managed chronic conditions like controlled high blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
The health question lets you self-report: Excellent correlates to Preferred Plus, Very good to Preferred, Good to Standard Plus, and Average to Standard. Your quotes reflect that class; underwriting later confirms. If you are uncertain, quote both classes and see the difference; let the application process determine the final class. Picking a higher class does not reduce the final bill; it only makes the estimate less reliable.
Susman Insurance Agency can help identify carriers whose underwriting is more favorable for your particular health situation, which often has a bigger impact on price than shopping by quote alone.