Guide
Health classes explained
Four underwriting tiers—Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard—and what determines which tier you sit in.
Insurers set term life rates using rate class tiers. Names differ slightly across companies, but the hierarchy stays constant: Preferred Plus (sometimes Super Preferred or Preferred Best), Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard, then table adjustments for atypical risk. Tobacco users occupy their own set of classes at higher premiums.
What underwriters look at
Build score (how your height and weight align), blood pressure and cholesterol readings, family cardiac or cancer events before age 60, motor vehicle history, pharmaceuticals you take, job type and hobbies, and any nicotine use. The top tier needs strong results almost everywhere; Preferred permits a bit more variation; Standard Plus and Standard accommodate managed diseases like treated blood pressure problems.
How to use the quote tool
On this site, you report your health as: Excellent (becomes Preferred Plus), Very good (becomes Preferred), Good (becomes Standard Plus) or Average (becomes Standard). Your quotes reflect that category, but the carrier settles the final tier after reviewing your application. Uncertain about which to pick? Quote yourself at two levels to see the price variance, then let the application process confirm the real tier. Inflating your health does not reduce what you pay; it just makes the estimate less useful.
Susman Insurance Agency knows which carriers have more lenient guidelines for particular health situations, and that frequently matters more than the publicized base rate.