Guide
Health classes explained
Rate classes explained: what separates Preferred Plus from Preferred, Standard Plus, and Standard, and how you move between them.
Insurers organize pricing by rate class. The exact names shift between companies, but the structure is standard: Preferred Plus (sometimes Super Preferred or Best Preferred), Preferred, Standard Plus, and Standard, with additional tiers for higher risks. Tobacco users face parallel pricing at greater cost.
What underwriters look at
Height and weight ratios, blood pressure and cholesterol readings, cancer or cardiac history in your family (especially before age 60), motor vehicle records, medications you take, what you do for work and recreation, and any tobacco or nicotine use—these shape your classification. Top-tier placement requires clean numbers across most factors; other tiers allow some managed health conditions like controlled blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
Rate yourself on the quote tool: Excellent → Preferred Plus tier; Very good → Preferred; Good → Standard Plus; Average → Standard. Your actual rate matches this tier; the carrier confirms it after underwriting. Unsure? Try quoting two tiers side by side, then let underwriting make the final call. Inflating your health doesn't cut your premium; it just makes the estimate inaccurate.
Our team at Susman Insurance Agency knows which carriers apply looser standards to particular health situations—and that often matters more than comparing headline rates.