Guide
Health classes explained
The tiers of health classification and what determines your assigned tier.
Insurers classify term life by rate class. Labels differ between carriers but follow a standard hierarchy: Preferred Plus (sometimes Super Preferred or Preferred Best), Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard, then table adjustments for above-standard risk. Those who use tobacco have a separate rate class structure with higher pricing.
What underwriters look at
Height and weight ratio, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, any family background of cardiac or malignant disease before 60, your motor vehicle record, medication history, job type and recreational activities, plus current or recent tobacco or nicotine use. Top-tier classification requires favorable results in nearly all areas; Preferred tolerates one or two factors; Standard Plus and Standard allow managed health conditions like controlled high blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
Your self-assessment on the health form translates to a rate class: Excellent equals Preferred Plus, Very good equals Preferred, Good equals Standard Plus and Average equals Standard. Your quote is computed using that class; the insurer confirms the actual class following underwriting. When in doubt, get quotes for two classifications side by side, then allow the application to establish the real class. Overstating your health doesn't reduce the final cost; it just makes your quote inaccurate.
Susman Insurance Agency helps identify carriers with programs better suited to your health situation, which often has more impact than the base rate.