Guide
Health classes explained
How Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard differ and how carriers sort applicants.
Carriers sort prices by rate class. Names shift between carriers, but the structure is the same: Preferred Plus (sometimes Super Preferred or Preferred Best), then Preferred, then Standard Plus, then Standard, with extra charges for higher-risk cases. Smokers or tobacco users occupy their own higher classes.
What underwriters look at
Body size (height and weight), blood numbers, family illness before 60, tickets and violations, medication history, job, hobbies, and nicotine/vaping. Preferred Plus demands excellent marks across the board; Preferred is a bit more flexible; Standard Plus and Standard accept things like managed high blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
When answering the health question, be truthful: Excellent lines up with Preferred Plus, Very good with Preferred, Good with Standard Plus, and Average with Standard. Your quoted rates match that choice; the underwriter will set the final class. Uncertain? Quote yourself at two different levels to compare, and let the application process decide. Picking a better-than-accurate health level doesn't lower what you'll actually pay—it just makes the estimate less helpful.
Susman Insurance Agency identifies carriers that take a lenient view of specific situations, often more important than comparing the best rates.