Guide
Health classes explained
Four underwriting tiers—what each classification signifies and the factors that determine your placement.
Insurance carriers assign rate classes to price term coverage. Labels differ slightly between companies, but the structure is the same: Preferred Plus (sometimes Super Preferred or Preferred Elite), Preferred, Standard Plus, and Standard, plus extra tables for higher risk. Smokers occupy a separate tier at steeper rates.
What underwriters look at
Body composition (height and weight), blood pressure and lipid levels, whether close relatives faced heart disease or cancer before age 60, your driving history, current and past prescriptions, your job and activities, and any tobacco or nicotine products. The top tier demands clean marks in virtually every area; the next tier tolerates some variance; the bottom two accept managed conditions like medicated blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
The health question requests your candid self-assessment: Excellent corresponds to Preferred Plus, Very good to Preferred, Good to Standard Plus, and Average to Standard. Quotes use that classification; the carrier sets the true class following underwriting. Uncertain? Quote both classes to compare, then allow the application to settle it. Inflating your health rating doesn't reduce the final price—it only makes the quote less reliable.
Susman Insurance Agency is equipped to guide you toward carriers that take a more flexible view of a particular condition—sometimes the biggest factor in your final premium.