Guide
Health classes explained
Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard: what each level means and what moves you between them.
Carriers price term life by rate class. Names shift between companies, but the ladder is the same: Preferred Plus (also Super Preferred or Preferred Best), Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard, then table ratings for higher-than-standard risk. Tobacco users get their own parallel classes at higher prices.
What underwriters look at
Build (height and weight), blood pressure and cholesterol, family heart or cancer history before age 60, driving record, what you take by prescription, your work and hobbies, and tobacco or nicotine use. Preferred Plus needs clean results nearly everywhere; Preferred allows a bit more; Standard Plus and Standard allow controlled conditions like treated high blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
The health question asks you to be truthful: Excellent maps to Preferred Plus, Very good to Preferred, Good to Standard Plus and Average to Standard. Quotes use that class; the carrier sets the final one after underwriting. If you're not sure, quote two classes and look at both, then let the application determine the truth. Picking an optimistic class doesn't lower the final premium; it just makes the estimate less accurate.
Susman Insurance Agency can help you compare carriers whose underwriting leans toward your specific situation, which often matters more than the base rate.