Fees for Obese Indigent Cremations Give Rich Officials the Giggles

by Josie Raymond · 2010-10-24 09:12:00 UTC
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Have you heard the one about the county in Florida that's paying funeral homes extra to care for the bodies of impoverished and homeless individuals who were morbidly obese? It's no joke, though some local officials sure acted like it was at a recent meeting.

In Escambia County, Florida, county commissioners voted recently to pay an extra $200 to funeral homes that cremate the bodies of homeless and impoverished residents who weigh between 300 and 500 pounds. For every pound a person weighs over 500, the county will pay an additional dollar to offset the higher costs of cremating larger bodies. All these bodies will get a funeral home an extra $75 transportation fee. Currently, the county pays $500 for each cremation, regardless of the size of the body. Funeral homeless generally lose money and perform these services as a contribution to society.

Unfortunately, all this talk of heavy people gave some county commissioners the giggles at a local meeting. As bravely reported by the local paper, the Pensacola News Journal, the commissioners voted unanimously for the fee changes but couldn't keep straight faces while doing so.

Commissioner Wilson Robertson, who is worth more than $11 million, reportedly snickered and said, "I don't see how indigents can afford groceries." Comissioner Gene Valentino said, while giggling, "If it wasn't so serious, it would be funny. We would have to put them on a weight loss program before they die." The commissioners have since publicly apologized for their behavior.

The number of very poor and homeless residents who meet the criteria is small. There are about 120 indigent deaths each year and just 10 or so of them are obese people. Plus, the county has already cut costs, switching from burials to cremations in 2008, reducing expenditures from $113,000 to about $65,000.

The commissioners might not have realized at the time that this isn't funny, but at least by voting for the additional fees they realized that it's non-negotiable. These poor and homeless residents, who lacked so much dignity in life, should at least be given respect in death, the great equalizer.

Photo credit: Stephan Ridgway

Josie Raymond has reported from the streets of the South Bronx, written for several magazines that folded (not her fault) and fixed thousands of typos.
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