Guide
Health classes explained
How rate classes—Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus, and Standard—work and what factors influence your placement.
Carriers assign rate classes to price term policies. Nomenclature differs slightly among companies, but the structure stays consistent: Preferred Plus (sometimes Super Preferred or Preferred Best), Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard, plus table adjustments for elevated risks. Tobacco users get a separate tier with elevated pricing.
What underwriters look at
Your rating depends on weight and height proportions, blood pressure and lipid panel, family health history going back 60 years, driving history, medications you take, your job and hobbies, and whether you use tobacco or nicotine. Preferred Plus demands strong marks nearly everywhere; Preferred allows some variance; Standard Plus and Standard accept managed conditions like controlled blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
Answer honestly when describing your health status: Excellent corresponds to Preferred Plus, Very good to Preferred, Good to Standard Plus and Average to Standard. Quotes assume the stated class; carriers confirm the actual class after underwriting. If unsure, request quotes in two different classes for comparison, and allow underwriting to determine the final grade. Picking a rosier class doesn't lower the eventual premium; it simply makes the estimate less reliable.
Susman Insurance Agency specializes in finding carriers whose underwriting fits your particular situation; that frequently matters much more than shopping the cheapest initial quote.