Guide
Health classes explained
Four tiers of underwriting rating: Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard. What each one signals and how to move between them.
Each carrier structures costs by underwriting tier. Naming varies slightly by company, but the structure is: Preferred Plus (sometimes Super Preferred or Best Preferred), Preferred, Standard Plus and Standard, then specialty rates for cases that don't fit. Tobacco users face a different scale at higher rates.
What underwriters look at
BMI (height and weight balance), blood pressure and lipid levels, family history of heart or cancer trouble before age 60, driving record, medications you take, what you do for work and play, and any tobacco or nicotine use. Top ratings need good outcomes nearly everywhere; Preferred allows a bit more; Standard Plus and Standard accept managed situations like controlled high blood pressure.
How to use the quote tool
When you answered the health question, you picked a self-rating: Excellent leads to Preferred Plus, Very Good to Preferred, Good to Standard Plus, and Fair to Standard. The quote uses that tier; the insurer confirms your final tier after underwriting. Unsure about yourself? Quote both tiers and see the difference; the application will verify which is right. Overstating health doesn't lower your quote—it just makes the estimate less useful.
Susman Insurance Agency knows which carriers are more open-minded about specific health situations—which is often more useful than looking only at the headline price.