Guide
Health classes explained
Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard: what the tier names mean and what moves you between them.
Underwriting tiers are rate classes—slight variations by carrier, but the hierarchy is stable: Preferred Plus (sometimes called Super Preferred or Preferred Best), Preferred, Standard Plus, and Standard, plus table ratings for elevated risk. Tobacco users have a parallel tier set at higher costs.
What underwriters look at
Build (height-to-weight), blood pressure and cholesterol, family history of heart or cancer before age 60, driving record, prescription history, occupation and hobbies, tobacco or nicotine use—these factors determine class. Preferred Plus demands clean results across almost all of them; Preferred is a little more forgiving; Standard Plus and Standard accommodate managed conditions like treated high blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
The health question asks for your honest self-assessment: Excellent maps to Preferred Plus, Very good to Preferred, Good to Standard Plus, and Average to Standard. Quotes reflect that class; underwriting later confirms the final tier. If you're unsure, quote two classes and compare. An optimistic class doesn't lower the final cost—it just makes your estimate less reliable.
Susman Insurance Agency can identify carriers whose underwriting favors specific conditions, which often matters more than the standard rate.