Paupers: Death Be Not Proud

We all die. And something needs to be done with what remains after our last gasp.

Looking at this stark reality uncovers some little-considered aspects of poverty: What happens when you die without burial plans? Who pays and who decides what type of arrangements? What fiscal burden does the increasing number of economically-challenged people put upon local governments?

What happens post-life depends on your financial standing, what plans you have made, and, lacking plans and financial standing, where you lived before dying. Michael Jackson's grand--$150k+-- plans bespeak his wealth.

Others, especially those who die penniless, find themselves at the mercy of their community. Family, when feasible, steps in, as was the case of my sister who recently died.

With more people finding themselves on the wrong end of the ladder of success, it is no surprise that the cost of, um, disposal of the body (can we come up with a better term?) falls to the local government. In my stint as director of a homeless shelter, I was involved with many arrangements with funeral homes, township offices, and donors who paid for the last rites for those with no discernible ties to family. It was easier to get donations for burying children than adults. It was never a fancy departure.

As local governments examine their budgets, USA Today reports they find

The rough economy is inflicting hardship on people even in death.

Coroners and funeral directors in several cities say the number of people seeking government-paid funerals, cremations and burials is spiking. Most counties and states will use public money to cremate or bury people who are too poor to pay for private services.

Costs of cremation, the most frugal way to handle the end of life, vary. We paid about $1,800 for my sister's cremation, with no extras. Family took care of the memorial in a meaningful way. Recently I heard (but, alas, cannot find) a story on public radio about the actual cost of cremation being around $500. Hmmm. Quite a mark-up.

In Kingsport, TN, faced with more people needing burial services, a recent local news story reported

“due to death rate and economic condition” — a budget request for the county’s fiscal year that began July 1 proposes nearly doubling taxpayer funding for pauper burials in the county.

The New York Times reported on a story about immigrants' post-death planning. An ambitious entrepreneur selling funeral insurance in New York figured

...“it’s very expensive to die in the United States.”

Burial insurance is nothing new. With rates as low as $8 per month, the industry is robust, particularly in some low-income black communities, though it has been dogged for years by fraud and racially discriminatory pricing.

Is it important to have a tombstone? With growing numbers of people dying who cannot afford to live, much less die, I suspect we'll see a rise in economy cremations, leaving the poor to be forgotten in death as they were in life. That being said, I'm opting for cremation as my departure of choice.

A true test of "respect for life" is how we treat people when they die. My cynical side thinks it's a "good enough for who it's for" attitude when local governments have to fork out money for indigent funeral arrangements. Is that true?

Seems to me, given the reality of death, we should be fighting for death insurance instead of health insurance. Death with dignity? What a concept in this country that seems to devalue life, as seen in the gruesome health care battle.

photos by the author