Guide
Health classes explained
The definitions of Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard, and which factors move you up and down the ladder.
Insurers organize term pricing by rate class—tiers with somewhat different names from one company to the next, but the hierarchy stays consistent: Preferred Plus (sometimes called Super Preferred or Best Preferred), Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard, then rated-up categories for higher risks. Tobacco users sit in a parallel tier structure with elevated rates.
What underwriters look at
Your physical metrics (height and weight), numbers like blood pressure and cholesterol, whether early heart disease or cancer appears in your family before age 60, your driving history, any medications you take, your job and pastimes, and nicotine or tobacco consumption. Preferred Plus usually requires stellar outcomes everywhere; Preferred is less stringent; Standard Plus and Standard allow controlled issues such as medically managed high blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
Describe your health accurately when answering: Excellent corresponds to Preferred Plus, Very good to Preferred, Good to Standard Plus and Average to Standard. Your quotes match that class; the underwriting decision may confirm, improve, or shift it. Unsure where you fit? Get quotes in two different classes, look at the difference, then let the underwriting outcome settle it. Stating a higher class does not reduce your eventual premium—it simply means the estimate is off.
Susman Insurance Agency can point you to carriers with more lenient rules around your particular situation—and this match often changes the premium more than the advertised rate.