Term Life insurance premiums are subject to medical underwriting. That means the younger and healthier you are, the cheaper your rates will be.
Preferred rates are the lowest life insurance rates available and offered to people in the optimum health.
Everyone else falls into the "standard" rate category for life insurance coverage.
While life insurance rates and criteria vary from insurance company to insurance company, generally, to receive "preferred rate" status, you must be in excellent overall health, not participate in any hazardous activities, and not have any history of drug abuse or alcohol abuse.
To qualify for "standard life insurance rates", you may have had some minor health issues in the past, or have current lifestyle issues, such as obesity or high cholesterol.
Some life insurance companies offer a "Preferred-Plus" life Insurance Rate.
To obtain this really low life insurance rate, you cannot use any tobacco products whatsoever. You cannot have a history of drug abuse or alcohol abuse, and you cannot engage in any hazardous activities.
Statistically these "preferred-plus" people are those who are likely to live the longest, and therefore are entitled to the best rates available for life insurance.
Here's how you can compare term life rates online