Guide
Health classes explained
Understanding Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus, and Standard: the meanings of these classes and what shifts you between them.
Term life premiums follow rate class rules set by underwriters. Though names shift slightly, the order stays the same: Preferred Plus (sometimes Super Preferred or Preferred Best), Preferred, Standard Plus, then Standard, with higher tiers for above-average risk. Those who smoke or use nicotine occupy a separate tier at greater cost.
What underwriters look at
Your height-to-weight ratio, blood and cholesterol numbers, any family heart disease or cancer before turning 60, driving record, medications taken, job and interests, and tobacco or nicotine products. The best class asks for good results across nearly everything; Preferred is a bit forgiving; Standard Plus and Standard accommodate managed conditions such as controlled blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
Your health response is simple: choose the label that fits you. Excellent aligns with Preferred Plus, Very good with Preferred, Good with Standard Plus, and Average with Standard. Your quotes match that class; the carrier adjusts it through underwriting. Not sure? Quote two classes and examine both, then let the carrier make the final call. Picking a rosier class will not cut your premium—it just makes your estimate less trustworthy.
Susman Insurance Agency will steer you toward insurers whose rules are more lenient for your particular circumstance—often a bigger deal than the advertised quote.