For the last 30 years, funeral costs have been growing much faster than the overall Consumer Price Index.
Did you know that to ship the remains of a loved one for burial elsewhere in the U.S. can increase funeral costs by as much as $2,000?
- People who retire out-of-state, but wish to be buried back home someday, should make sure their funding arrangements will cover this additional cost.
- Also, if a person dies overseas on vacation or business travel, it can cost as much as $12,000 to have the remains shipped back home for burial.
The Funeral Rule of 1984 Protects Your Rights
This law was enacted in 1984 to stop funeral homes from persuading people to buy goods and services they did not want or need, and charging them highly marked-up prices on the items they did want.
- General Price List (GPL) – A funeral home must provide a dated price list before the discussion begins regarding any arrangements.
- Telephone Price Disclosure – A funeral home must give accurate information as to their GPL, casket price list and outer-burial container price list.
- Casket Price List – Funeral homes are required to show a dated, printed casket price list that also lists alternative containers.
- Itemized Statement Of Goods and services – Once arrangements are made, a funeral home must give a statement itemizing each service and each product chosen, their separate costs, and total cost.
- Embalming – a funeral home must notify you if embalming isn’t required by law in your state. Also, it may not embalm without prior consent.
- Casket – A funeral home can’t refuse a casket bought from an outside source or charge a handling fee.
- Preservation and Protective Claims – A funeral provider cannot tell you that embalming, sealer caskets or sealer burial vaults will preserve the body indefinitely in the grave. Similarly, they can not claim such features will keep out water or dirt if that is not true.