Guide
Health classes explained
What Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard represent, and what variables determine your placement across them.
Term insurance pricing follows rate tiers. Naming conventions shift between providers, yet the hierarchy remains: Preferred Plus (sometimes Super Preferred or Best Preferred), Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard, followed by table adjustments for higher-risk profiles. Smokers occupy their own rating tiers at increased costs.
What underwriters look at
Height-to-weight ratio, blood pressure readings and lipid levels, familial history of cardiac or oncologic disease prior to age 60, motor vehicle record, medication usage, work type and leisure pursuits, along with nicotine consumption in any form. Maximum tier needs almost spotless results across all factors; Preferred tier accepts minor deviations; Standard Plus and Standard accommodate managed illnesses like regulated high blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
The wellness questionnaire requires candid self-reflection: Excellent aligns with Preferred Plus, Very good with Preferred, Good with Standard Plus and Average with Standard. Quotes use your chosen tier; actual placement happens after underwriting. When in doubt between categories, run quotes for both and weigh the results before submitting; optimistic selections do not reduce final costs but simply skew estimates higher.
Susman Insurance Agency helps identify carriers whose underwriting lean toward your specific situation, which frequently proves more valuable than simply looking at the advertised starting rate.