Chapter 4: Advanced Funeral Planning, 2nd Edition 4 CE Hours
By : Stephen Born, CFSP, MBIE Learning outcomes
Recognize the importance of Medicaid and how it affects advanced planning. Identify impairments and apply ethical practice in handling advanced planning for elder clientele.
Define advanced funeral planning. Identify advanced planning options. Recall the significance of ethical concerns and legislation in the death care industry. List the elements of an advanced planning or preneed contract. Course overview Advanced funeral planning is a general term with many facets. It is a decision that must be fine-tuned to the individuality, lifestyle, and religious base of each person. Many people plan for life events, such as weddings and vacations, well in advance. However, most do not plan for something that is certain to happen: their funeral. Further, many people are unaware of how expensive laying a loved
one to rest can be. Assisting individuals in their quest to plan ahead significantly reduces the risk of leaving family members not only emotionally unprepared but also financially unprepared. This course is developed as a guide to help you, as a professional provider or agent, navigate the options that best suit all parties.
INTRODUCTION
Assisting individuals in their quest to plan ahead significantly reduces the risk of leaving family members not only emotionally unprepared but also financially unprepared. This course is developed as a guide to help you, as a professional provider or agent, navigate the options that best suit all parties.
Advanced funeral planning is a general term with many facets. It is a decision that must be fine-tuned to the individuality, lifestyle, and religious base of each person. Many people plan for life events, such as weddings and vacations, well in advance. However, most do not plan for something that is certain to happen: their funeral. Further, many people are unaware of how expensive laying a loved one to rest can be.
A brief history of the funeral ethics that shaped today’s industry The funeral industry, also known as the death care industry, has evolved along with Americans’ changing views. These views include what is appropriate and inappropriate in a funeral and in the death care industry. The subject of death is endlessly complex. One Supreme Court justice said in a different context, “death is different.” The following provides a brief overview of early regulation and major trends in the history of the American funeral industry.
Mitford’s 1963 book, and the strong consumer response to it, prompted increased attention and introduced government oversight to the funeral trade. Hearings eventually culminated in the enactment of 1984’s Funeral Industry Practice Trade Regulation Rule (16 C.F.R. 453). The Funeral Rule, or “the Rule” as it is usually called, was reenacted and slightly modified in 1994. The Rule focuses on disclosures regarding funeral goods and services. Additionally, it specifies what a funeral business must include on a general price list (GPL), when the list must be offered, and what consumers cannot be required to buy. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the government agency that interprets and enforces the Funeral Rule. The FTC has two central missions: to keep the marketplace competitive and to stop unfair and deceptive trade practices. The FTC act of which the Funeral Rule is one part broadly prohibits “unfair business practices and false advertising.” State rules also regulate funeral homes to various extents. In recent years, consumer attitudes about funerals have changed significantly, generally shifting away from traditional funerals. The internet, among other sources, allows consumers access to extensive information about funeral practices and options. Consumers can research their religious traditions and incorporate these traditions into their funerals. They can learn about federal regulations and industry conflicts. They can even buy their own merchandise, such as caskets, urns, and stationery, from a third party. This mainstreaming of the funeral industry is likely to continue.
By the mid-1950s, there were over 50,000 funeral directors and 25,000 funeral homes in the United States. Seventy percent of the country’s funeral homes at the time were independently owned, and many were organizing into a powerful trade group. While many state funeral directors’ associations had their own code of ethics, the federal government made no attempt to regulate the business nationally until the 1960s. This is when investigative journalist Jessica Mitford’s 1963 book, The American Way of Death, was published, which brought dramatic abuses committed by funeral homes to light. Mitford publicized already-existing concerns about the industry, accusing funeral homes of bilking stunned, grieving customers; pushing expensive caskets, funeral packages, and ridiculous “extras”; omitting less expensive options; and, in general, taking advantage of grief-stricken survivors. The book’s first edition sold out in just one day. Robert Kennedy was so moved by what he read in the book that he decided on a relatively simple funeral with a closed casket after the assassination of his brother, President John F. Kennedy. Even this was controversial: Public opinion strongly opposed Robert Kennedy’s (then the U.S. Attorney General) decision.
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Book Code: FTX1625
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