Guide
Health classes explained
What the four levels—Preferred Plus through Standard—represent and what factors influence your placement within them.
Term premiums follow a rating structure established by each carrier. Terminology differs slightly, but the system stays consistent: Preferred Plus (sometimes Super Preferred or Elite Preferred), Preferred, Standard Plus, and Standard, with extra charges available for elevated-risk situations. For tobacco consumers, an identical scale at higher costs applies.
What underwriters look at
Body composition (weight and height), blood sugar control and cholesterol levels, ancestral patterns involving cardiac or cancer events before turning 60, motor vehicle records, medication history, job responsibilities and recreational pursuits, and all nicotine and tobacco use. Optimal classifications demand favorable results nearly everywhere; Preferred categories allow minor variations; Standard Plus and Standard accept managed diseases like controlled blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
Respond truthfully to the health evaluation: Excellent connects with Preferred Plus, Very good with Preferred, Good with Standard Plus, and Average with Standard. The quote reflects that bracket; the final assignment happens after underwriting review. When deciding between classes is difficult, run quotes for each and let the underwriter make the call. Overstating your health status doesn't reduce your final premium—it only makes the quoted figure less realistic.
Susman Insurance Agency specializes in matching you with carriers whose underwriting standards work better for your specific health picture, which frequently outweighs the published base rates.