Guide
Health classes explained
What the underwriting tiers mean, the difference between them, and what factors can move you from one to another.
Each carrier assigns a rate class based on your health and personal factors. The names differ slightly between companies, but the tiers are always: Preferred Plus (sometimes Super Preferred or Preferred Best), Preferred, Standard Plus, Standard, then table ratings for applicants with higher risk. Tobacco users get their own set of classes with higher premiums.
What underwriters look at
Body composition, blood pressure and cholesterol readings, whether parents or siblings had early heart disease or cancer, your driving history, what medications you take, what you do for work and fun, and any tobacco or nicotine use. The top classes need clean marks across almost everything; Preferred allows one or two small issues; Standard Plus and Standard permit things like managed high blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
On the quote form, describe your health truthfully: Excellent corresponds to Preferred Plus, Very good to Preferred, Good to Standard Plus, and Average to Standard. Quotes use whichever class you pick; the carrier may adjust it during underwriting. If you are not sure which fits, pull quotes for two different classes and see the difference, then let the application settle it. Picking a rosier class will not reduce your final premium—it just makes the estimate less realistic.
When a particular health situation is involved, Susman Insurance Agency can help you identify carriers that view it favorably—often more important than just the lowest advertised rate.