Guide
Health classes explained
The rate tiers—Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus, Standard—and what each label signifies and how you can shift from one to another.
Term premiums are set according to rate class. The label changes from carrier to carrier, but the tiers stay the same: Preferred Plus (sometimes Super Preferred or Preferred Best), Preferred, Standard Plus, Standard, plus extra charges for above-average risk. Tobacco users are graded in a parallel system with steeper premiums.
What underwriters look at
Physical measurements, blood work, family health background (cardiac and cancer history before age 60), driving history, medications you have taken, job and activities, and tobacco or nicotine. Top-tier classification demands strong results on nearly everything; the Preferred tier permits some flexibility; Standard Plus and Standard accommodate managed conditions like blood pressure on medication.
How to use the quote tool
On the health question, answer honestly about yourself: Excellent corresponds to Preferred Plus, Very good to Preferred, Good to Standard Plus, and Average to Standard. Your quotes match that tier; the carrier will finalize the tier after reviewing your full application. If you are torn between tiers, pull quotes for both and compare; the real tier emerges during underwriting. An artificially high self-assessment does not reduce your actual premium—it only skews the estimate.
When a particular health situation is involved, Susman Insurance Agency can help you find carriers whose underwriting is more accommodating—often a more useful lever than shopping on price.