The rate you'll pay for your life insurance rate is determined, in large part, by the rate class you qualify for. If you qualify for the best rate class (often referred to by most carriers as "preferred plus"), your rate will be the lowest available. There are many different rate classifications and which one you qualify for will be determined by the life insurance company's underwriters, and will be based on your individual health, lifestyle, and family history profile. Since qualification criteria varies among the numerous insurance companies, it is not uncommon for an individual to qualify for different rate classes at different insurance companies. Since AccuQuote has access to many different insurance companies and their published and unpublished guidelines, we can help you select which one will likely offer you the best rates. Even the names of the rate classes can vary by company, but generally, here are the most common rate classes:

Keep in mind that underwriting guidelines vary among life insurance companies. Insurance companies determine how much you'll pay for a policy by placing you into one of several rate classifications, including preferred plus, preferred, and standard. Which one are you?

STEP 1

While it is impossible to know your rate class with 100% certainty until your case is evaluated by the underwriter, the following is provided to give you some general guidance as to what you might expect.

Take a look at the following major categories to see where you stand.

  Preferred Plus Preferred Standard
Height & Weight
maximum height/weight
maximum height/weight maximum height/weight
Tobacco
Use
No tobacco use in the
past 5 years
No tobacco use in the
past3 years
(only for preferred non-smoker)
No tobacco use in the
past year
(only for non-smoker)
Blood Pressure 140/85 without medication 140/85 with medication
or
150/90 without medication
150/90 with medication
or
155/95 if age 41-60
or
160/95 if age 61 or higher
Cholesterol 230 without medication
and
HDL ratio under 5.0
250 with or without medication
and
HDL ratio under 6.0
300 with or without medication
and
HDL ratio under 8.0
Driving Record No more than 2 moving violations in the past 3 years
and
No DUI/reckless driving in
past 5 years
No more than 2 moving violations in the past 3 years
and
No DUI/reckless driving in
past 5 years
Ba1, Ba2, Ba3
Questionable
Family
History
No parents or siblings diagnosed with heart disease/cancer before age 60 No parents or siblings died of heart disease/cancer before age 60 Not applicable
Citizenship US Resident for past 3 years (or permanent visa/green card) US Resident for past 3 years (or permanent visa/green card) US Resident for past 3 years (or permanent visa/green card)

STEP 2

I addition to the criteria above, if you have been treated for any of the ailments on the following chart, you'll find a check mark corresponding to the best rate class for which you're most likely to qualify. Treatment received for two or more of the problems listed below may classify you for a higher rate class, or it may cause you to be declined for life insurance.

  Preferred
Plus
Preferred Standard Non-Standard
Alcohol/Substance abuse    
 
Arthritis (Osteo)  
   
Arthritis (Rheumatoid)      
Asthma (allergy)  
   
Asthma (steroid meds)    
 
Bronchitis  
   
Cancer (basal cell)
     
Cancer (not basal cell - after 5 years)    
 
Cardiovascular/Heart Disease      
Crohn's Disease    
 
Depression (situational)  
   
Depression (on-going)    
 
Diabetes      
Emphysema      
Epilepsy    
 
Hepatitis A or B  
   
Hepatitis C      
Kidney/Liver Disease      
Mental Illness      
Mitral Valve Prolapse  
   
Multiple Sclerosis      
Stroke      
Ulcerative Colitis    
 
Vascular Disease      

Our web quoting engine provides you, the consumer, with the opportunity to see the prices for various different rate classifications, based on YOUR selection of a rate class on our quote request page. Your decision to view the prices from multiple insurance companies based on a rate class that you selected is, in no way, indicative of whether or not you may qualify for that particular rate class. Automated quoting is a very inaccurate process. This is why we also ask you to provide significant additional information, beyond that which is necessary for a simple perusal of rates via the web, so that we can spend the time necessary to create a CUSTOM quote for you, which we have proven over 20 years to be significantly more accurate relative to what ultimately will be offered to you by one or more insurance companies. This custom quote is ordinarily provided to you via telephone, often after a telephone conversation with one of our licensed agents. We take pride in having a comprehensive knowledge base of information regarding not only the published underwriting guidelines of each carrier, but also understanding that the guidelines are sometimes flexible. We use our extensive experience in dealing with the insurance companies to help guide our customers to apply to the insurance company most likely to issue them the best rate for their individual health and lifestyle profile.