Guide
Health classes explained
The four tiers—Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus, Standard—each carry distinct underwriting criteria and rate implications.
Term life pricing is organized around rate class tiers. Carrier names for these tiers differ, but the structure is uniform: Preferred Plus (sometimes Super Preferred or Preferred Best), Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard, plus table ratings for heightened risk. Tobacco applicants occupy a separate tier system at higher rates.
What underwriters look at
The underwriting review covers your height and weight, blood pressure and cholesterol results, any heart disease or cancer in your family before age 60, your driving history, prescription records, your line of work and pastimes, and tobacco status. Preferred Plus demands strong results across nearly every category; Preferred permits some nuance; Standard Plus and Standard accommodate well-managed conditions like treated blood pressure issues.
How to use the quote tool
When you answer the health section, your response feeds into a tier: Excellent aligns with Preferred Plus, Very good with Preferred, Good with Standard Plus, and Average with Standard. The quotes you see assume that tier; the underwriting process confirms your actual tier later. When in doubt, generate quotes at two different tiers to compare, then allow the formal underwriting to determine your real classification. Inflating your health assessment won't reduce your final premium—it merely compromises the accuracy of your estimates.
We can direct you toward carriers with underwriting guidelines tailored to your health picture, which often proves more valuable than comparing rates alone. Some carriers' programs reward specific managed conditions more generously than others do.