Two people can buy the same $500,000 policy and pay wildly different premiums. Here's what insurers look at when they price your coverage — and where you have leverage.
The biggest rate factors
| Factor | Impact on price |
|---|---|
| Age | High — every year you wait costs more |
| Tobacco/nicotine use | Very high — can roughly double premiums |
| Health & medical history | High — your health class sets the base rate |
| Coverage amount | Direct — more coverage, higher premium |
| Term length | Moderate — longer terms cost more |
| Gender | Moderate — women typically pay less |
What you can control
- Buy sooner. Locking in a 20–30 year term while you're young and healthy freezes a low rate for decades.
- Quit nicotine. Most carriers treat you as a non-smoker after 12 months tobacco-free.
- Improve your health class. Better blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight can move you to a preferred tier.
- Right-size coverage. Don't over-buy; use the calculator to find your number.
Why comparing carriers matters
Each insurer underwrites differently. One company may penalize a condition another barely notices. That's the whole point of comparing 50+ carriers at once — the same person can find quotes that vary by hundreds of dollars a year for identical coverage.