Anyone and everyone who applies for life insurance must first be assessed for coverage.
Insurers provide coverage and premium rates in accordance with an
applicant’s risk level. To that end, insurance companies typically place
applicants in categories relative to their risk which involves their
health as well as lifestyle choices. Smoking, for example, as a behavior
associated with health risks, will impact which category an applicant
will be assigned. Sometimes a person, due to health issues or lifestyle
factors, may not fit into standard categories and will, instead, be
assigned a table rating. While obtaining a policy is still quite
possible, table ratings are associated with higher premium rates.
Life Insurance Applicants And Basic Classifications
Upon completing a medical exam, your insurer will look at your test
results as well as other factors such as family health history and
lifestyle choices and fit you into a classification or category. Though
the word choice might differ, most applicants seeking life policies like
a term policy, for instance, will fall into categories such as
preferred select, preferred, standard plus and standard. Moreover,
smokers have their own classifications such as preferred smoker and
standard smoker.
What Do Basic Classifications Mean
Preferred Select: Sometimes referred to as preferred elite, super
preferred, or preferred plus, this category is associated with excellent
health, a normal weight and height profile, and no other factors that
might suggest increased health risk such as the death of a family member
due to heart disease before age 60, for example.
Preferred: This category is associated with excellent health, though
there may be a few minor issues like a slightly elevated cholesterol
level, for instance.
Standard Plus: While associated with optimum health, there may be some
factors that prevent the applicant from falling into a preferred
category like high blood pressure or being overweight.
Standard: This category is associated with average health as well as a
normal life expectancy. Minor health issues may be present or, perhaps,
weight is not optimum. Factors such as these coupled with the death of a
parent due to disease before age 60 could also be relative to this
category.
Preferred Smoker: This category is for a person who would otherwise
fall into the regular preferred category but smokes. Some insurers will
place an occasional smoker in this category such as someone who smokes
cigars only from time to time.
Standard Smoker: A smoker who is in otherwise standard health will be
placed into this category. Since some providers offer non-smoker rates,
someone in this category is apt to pay more than a non-smoker for the
same type of policy.
What Happens When An Applicant Doesn't Fall Into A Category
Many applicants do not fall into these categories yet are still eligible
for coverage. Their health issues or lifestyles may prevent them from
falling into a standard classification, but they can still be rated in
accordance with their coverage risks. Insurers call this further
classification system table rating system. Instead of preferred or
standard categories, an applicant might be given a table rating with a
number or letter to designate their rating. Depending on that rating,
the applicant will pay an additional percentage if approved for a life
insurance policy.
Understanding Table Ratings
Table ratings allow an insurer to further assess an applicant in
accordance with their risk level. The rating allows the insurer to
provide coverage but at an increased rate depending on that applicant’s
table rating. For example, an applicant that has a table rate of A can
typically expect to pay the standard rate plus an additional 25%.
Someone with a table rate of G can expect to pay the standard rate plus
an additional 175%. Usually table rates are issued for applicants that
have definite health conditions. If the condition is deemed stable, the
insurer will provide coverage and charge the rate associated with that
applicant’s table rating.
Determining Your Table Rating: Your insurer will assign table ratings in
accordance with their findings. If you have had a heart attack in the
last five years or have a condition like diabetes, you’ll have a table
rating. Of course, these conditions must be deemed stable. An insurer
can refuse to provide life insurance at any rate at their discretion.
For instance, if you’ve suffered a heart attack in the past month,
you’ll likely be turned down for a policy until enough time has lapsed
for your heart condition to be deemed under control.
Table Ratings And Life Insurance
Table ratings carry a higher rate, of course, but they do help insurers
assess risk. Moreover, they also allow someone with a health condition
to obtain life insurance which can be immensely important to the
applicant and their families. If you are assigned a table rating, your
insurer can discuss how that determination was made and why the rate is
priced as it is. These table ratings are mostly standard throughout the
industry. However, some life insurance providers are well-known for providing
coverage to people with existing health conditions and may have more
optimum rates and different coverage criteria than other providers.
Obtaining Coverage
If you are turned down for life insurance by one company, you may still
qualify for coverage from another. The key is to work with insurers who
have extensive experience employing table ratings. Also, health is not
the only determining factor. Table ratings can be assigned for other reasons like a criminal background or a background history of DUIs. Again, investigate all of your options when seeking coverage; though
one company may deny you another may be happy to insure you even if at
an increased premium rate.
For more information give us a call at 800-301-8113 or visit goldcoastlifeinsurance.com for a quote.
