The agent's commissions, overhead, and expenses of doing business are other factors in determing the premium.
Ideally, to get the best rate, one would want to be classified as a "preferred" risk or below-average risk of early death. Other classifications include "standard" (average risk of death), or "substandard" (insurable, but with an above-average risk of death). Sometimes someone is such a high risk that they are classified as "uninsurable" (a high probability of early death).
Just because one company classifies someone as uninsurable it is possible to get a different classification from another company since insurance company's classification criteria vary. In addition, some companies will remove a rated premium if you maintain good health for a specified period, give evidence that your health has improved, or change to a less-hazardous occupation. Being a non-smoker carries a strong advantage when looking for low life insurance rates.
