The usual reasons for a rating:
Your application listed a health problem. A medical examination revealed some
health problem.
The company received a physician's statement in which a problematic history was disclosed. An information-gathering service (most companies use Equifax) found evidence to suggest a lifestyle problem such as drug or alcohol abuse or criminal activity. Homosexuality is considered a problem, too.
The Medical Information Bureau, which compiles all previous insurance applications and claims, alerted the company to the existence of a medical situation.

What to do about changing the rating:
When you signed your insurance application, you gave the insurance company permission to undertake a thorough investigation of your past medical, psychiatric, and social history. To challenge the rating: You must refute the existing underwriting records. The nature of the negative information will not be volunteered. Make a written request. In addition, have your insurance agent contact the proper person at the company. The more facts, the better.
Medical problems: The most effective refutation is a presentation of detailed reports from doctors. Next: Use your insurance agent

to influence the company. Example:
You were 30 pounds overweight when you first applied for insurance, but have now lost that weight. While reexaminations are unusual, if the agent testifies for you, the company might reconsider.
Trap: The insurance company may have received information from a doctor that the physician requests be kept from you.
Example:
Your psychiatrist claims you have suicidal tendencies, but would rather not risk its becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. You may feel like Kafka's victim in The Trial, but you won't get that information. However, it's the reason for the rating.
Moral ratings: These are even harder to fight. Generally, you will not be told the source of a bad reference. You will just get a statement such as: Sources told us you come back from lunch drunk every day. Such sources may be vindictive or themselves mentally unbalanced.

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While you will not have an opportunity to answer these charges, the Fair Credit Reporting Act does give you the right to make the insurance company and its sources recheck their facts, which should not take more than two to three weeks.
If the charge is proved wrong: They will probably correct their files. If it's a matter of opinion, have your own response placed along with the allegations in your file. Ask the company to talk with other sources. Give them personal references.
Battling an insurance company requires patience and dedication. However, if you make enough noise, and with good reason, your chances are good for eventually erasing a costly insurance rating.

More and more insurance companies are using a new test to detect smokers who say they don't smoke so they can get lower premiums on new life insurance policies.
How the test works: When you visit your doctor for the required physical, insurance forms instruct the doctor to send your urine sample to the insurance company's lab for testing. (The form usually doesn't say what kind of testing.) The test looks for traces of nicotine and has never given a false positive reading.
Inside information: Although the test supposedly shows whether you've ingested nicotine within the 36 hours prior to giving the sample, it's really effective for only 24 hours.
For passive smokers: The test isn't sensitive enough to pick up nicotine traces in those who live or work with even heavy smokers. Note: Insurance companies need not volunteer that applicants are subject to the test, unless asked specifically.