Understanding Preferred Plus Life Insurance and How to Qualify

You and your neighbor could apply for the exact same life insurance policy on the same day, and one of you might pay significantly less than the other. The difference often comes down to something called your rating class. If you qualify for Preferred Plus, you are getting the best deal any carrier offers. But what does it actually take to earn that top rating, and is it realistic for you?

What Is Preferred Plus Life Insurance?

Every life insurance carrier assigns applicants a rating class based on health, lifestyle, and personal history. Think of it like a report card that determines your premium. Preferred Plus (sometimes called “Super Preferred” or “Elite”) sits at the very top of that grading scale. It is reserved for applicants in outstanding overall health with no significant risk factors.

The rating classes typically break down like this.

• Preferred Plus / Elite is the best available rate, reserved for excellent health and clean history.
• Preferred is a very good rate where minor health issues may be acceptable.
• Standard Plus is an above average rate for people with some manageable health concerns.
• Standard is the baseline rate reflecting average health.
• Table Ratings apply to higher risk applicants, with each table level adding roughly 25% to the standard premium.

The gap between these classes is significant. Someone in the Standard class might pay nearly double what a Preferred Plus applicant pays for the same coverage amount and term length.

What It Takes to Qualify for Preferred Plus

Earning that top rating class is not automatic, even if you feel perfectly healthy. Carriers look at a specific set of factors, and every one of them matters.

Your age plays the biggest role in your overall premium. Rates climb roughly 8% to 10% for every year you wait. A healthy 30 year old will always pay less than a healthy 45 year old, regardless of rating class. This is why applying sooner rather than later works in your favor.

Current health and lab results must be excellent. Carriers want to see blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and liver function all within ideal ranges. Controlled conditions that might be fine for a Preferred rating could disqualify you from Preferred Plus.

Your build (height and weight ratio) needs to fall within strict guidelines. Every carrier publishes its own build chart, and the Preferred Plus window is narrower than other classes. Being just a few pounds outside the guideline can bump you down a class.

No tobacco use of any kind. Smokers and tobacco users pay two to four times more than nonsmokers. For Preferred Plus, most carriers require you to be completely tobacco free for at least three to five years, including cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, and sometimes even nicotine patches or vaping products.

Family medical history matters. If a parent or sibling was diagnosed with heart disease or cancer before age 60, some carriers will not offer Preferred Plus, even if your own health is perfect.

Gender affects pricing as well. Women statistically live longer, so female applicants generally receive lower rates across all rating classes.

How the Underwriting Process Works

When you apply for a traditionally underwritten policy, the carrier investigates several areas to determine where you land on their rating scale.

The process typically involves a detailed application with health and lifestyle questions. The carrier will check the MIB database (a shared insurance history record) and run a prescription database search to verify your medication history. They also pull motor vehicle records and may request a medical exam with blood and urine samples. For more complicated health histories, they may order your medical records from your doctors.

This process usually takes two to six weeks. The medical exam itself is quick and often done at your home or office by a mobile examiner at no cost to you.

Here is something important to know. Different carriers weigh these factors differently. One carrier might decline you for Preferred Plus because of a slightly elevated cholesterol reading while another carrier considers that same number perfectly acceptable. This is exactly why shopping your application across multiple carriers makes such a big difference.

Our Approach to Finding Your Best Rate

This is where working with the right agency changes everything. Insurance By Heroes was founded by a former first responder and military spouse, and every member of our team comes from a background in public service. That “service first” mindset is not just a slogan. It is how we operate with every single client who reaches out, regardless of your background or profession.

As an independent agency, we are not locked into one carrier’s products or rating guidelines. We work with many different carriers, each with their own underwriting standards. When we help clients pursue a Preferred Plus rating, we already know which carriers are most likely to reward their specific health profile. A 40 year old marathon runner with mildly elevated cholesterol needs a different carrier than a 35 year old with a perfect lab panel but a family history of heart disease.

We treat every person who contacts us as the hero of their own family’s story. Protecting the people who depend on you is an act of duty, and our job is to make sure you get the best possible rate for that protection.

Tips for Earning the Best Rating Class

If you are close to Preferred Plus but not quite there, a few strategic moves can help.

• Apply at the right time. If you have been working on losing weight, lowering cholesterol, or improving blood pressure, wait until your numbers are where they need to be. A few months of patience can mean decades of lower premiums.
• Know your numbers before applying. Get a recent physical so there are no surprises during the exam. You want to know your blood pressure, cholesterol, A1C, and BMI before underwriting begins.
• Be completely honest on the application. Carriers verify everything through prescription databases, medical records, and the MIB. Omitting information only delays the process or leads to a worse outcome.
• Let an independent agent shop for you. This is the single biggest advantage you can give yourself. When we submit your information to multiple carriers, we can identify which one will offer you the most favorable classification.

No Exam Policies and the Tradeoff

If you want coverage quickly or prefer to skip the medical exam, there are alternatives. Accelerated underwriting uses data analytics and database checks to approve you without an exam. Simplified issue policies ask a limited set of health questions. Guaranteed issue policies require no health questions at all.

The tradeoff is straightforward. The less underwriting a carrier does, the more risk they assume, and the higher your premium will be. A guaranteed issue policy might cost three to five times what a fully underwritten Preferred Plus policy costs for the same coverage.

No exam options make the most sense when speed is the priority, when a health condition makes traditional underwriting difficult, or when you need a smaller coverage amount. For larger policies where you are likely to qualify for Preferred Plus, the traditional underwriting route almost always saves you more money over time.

Take the Next Step Today

Understanding how Preferred Plus life insurance works puts you ahead of most applicants. You now know what carriers look for, how the process works, and why shopping across multiple companies matters so much.

The team at Insurance By Heroes is ready to help you find out where you stand. We will review your health profile, identify the carriers most likely to offer you the best rating class, and walk you through every step of the process. Whether you end up qualifying for Preferred Plus or another classification, our goal is always the same. Get you the most coverage at the lowest rate possible.

Request your free quote today and let us put our service first approach to work for your family.