ISSUES THAT AFFECT YOU
Tissue donation:
Donating tissue is, for some, one of the noblest deeds, for it leaves a legacy to mankind. Sadly, however, tissue has become big business, with an estimated worth of around $1billion. Today tissue banks and organ agencies are tied to a group of for-profit companies engaged in the lucrative business of marketing products made from donated skin, bone, and heart valves. Of concern here are ethical considerations: exorbitant earnings are inappropriate in a domain based on altruism, and potential donors may not be informed of financial relations among nonprofit tissue banks and for-profit biotech firms. For a review article on this topic, click here.
Crematory regulation:
A few years ago a huge scandal broke in Georgia: hundreds of bodies which were to have been cremated were instead found strewn on the grounds of a crematory. Shortly thereafter the American public came to grips with the fact that states needed to exert better oversight of their crematories. Here in MD attempts were made—in vain—to pass such legislation. Click here for an article describing these endeavors and the situation in Maryland.
Funeral Rule violations:
It’s hard to believe: it has been more than 20 years since implementation of the FTC’s Funeral Rule— a major federal regulation designed to ensure accurate, itemized price information for funeral goods and services. Yet recent “shopping sprees” of nearly a dozen funeral homes in Montgomery County, MD found that it is common for morticians to skirt the Rule’s requirements. What sorts of infractions occurred? For starters, a number of mortuaries violated the mandate that a Casket Price List (CPL) must be offered consumers before ushering them to the casket display. Click here for an article describing infringements found in 2005. Click here for those found in 2006.
Basic Services Fee:
The Funeral Rule mandates that morticians charge a Basic Services Fee which must be added to all of your other charges—unless you choose Direct Cremation or Immediate Burial, where it is included.
Preneed funeral contracts:
A few years back the AARP reported an amazing fact: roughly 21 million Americans were prepaying their funeral expenses. Why on earth would so many people pay for their funerals in advance? One can only surmise, but an AARP survey gives us a pretty good idea: 43% of those aged 50 and older, in other words more than 28 million people, had been solicited about purchasing preneed funeral arrangements. In case you’re contemplating joining their ranks and entering into such an agreement, think twice. Click here for an article about the risks of preneed funeral contracts.
Funeral costs:
Did you know that funeral and memorial services, cremation, and burials vary widely in cost for identical services? That’s why it’s important to compare prices among funeral homes. Click here for the results of our latest Mortuary Price Survey, in which we compare prices—among more than 100 mortuaries in Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia — for Immediate Burial and Direct Cremation, the simplest of funeral arrangements.
Increase in the cost of death certificates:
A few years ago the cost of death certificates in MD increased nearly threefold, from $7 to $20. The impact on survivors is chilling. For a clip about that, click here.