The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Funeral Rule is one of the few federal regulations for funeral services in the U.S. Primarily funeral services are regulated state-by-state, but the Funeral Rule outlines basic consumer protection measures to ensure that families are properly protected from predatory practices. The goal is to help make it easier for people to compare funeral service providers and understand the costs.
Every 10 years the Funeral Rule gets reviewed. Before the review in late 2024 there was already talk about updating the Funeral Rule in a few key ways so that it better reflects how consumers search for funeral services today and ensures they are able to get the information they need.
Below is a brief rundown of likely changes to the Funeral Rule that consumers need to know about.
Consumers Can Expect to See Funeral Service Prices Online
One of the major components of the FTC Funeral Rule is the Price List requirements. Funeral homes have been required to provide clients with prices for services, but most don’t post those prices online. And a study by the FTC found that consumers often had to talk with a funeral home a few times to eventually get pricing information.
The biggest change that has been proposed for the FTC Funeral Rule is requiring that funeral service providers post their prices online so that it’s easily accessible for consumers. This is also timely, because new research from the National Funeral Directors Association solidifies that today people are finding funeral service providers online. In addition to that, consumer feedback shows that people want pricing information to be available on websites.
Of course, the pricing that’s posted online could be a base price, average price or range. However, the goal is to at least provide the basic pricing information online so it’s easier for consumers to compare funeral homes.
Inclusion of New Disposition Methods
In the last decade or so a few new types of disposition have been approved in many states and are being used by more consumers. So, it makes sense that the FTC wants to update the Funeral Rule to directly include these services in what’s covered under the regulations.
Specifically, the goal is to include alkaline hydrolysis and natural organic reduction in the Funeral Rule language. The FTC will specify how regulations apply to the newest forms of disposition so there’s no confusion.
Better Clarification on Which Services Are Legally Required
The Funeral Rule requires that funeral homes provide an itemized list of services with prices. There’s also regulations regarding information that specifies embalming is not required. Now the FTC wants to expand that so all services are clearly flagged as either required or not required.
The goal is to make sure consumers don’t end up paying for a service simply because they think it has to be included. If someone wants only the necessities, they’ll know exactly what that entails after the updates.
Other Potential Updates:
- Making service disclosures more readable.
- Disclosure when third party fees apply.
Direct Cremate can help you understand cremation prices and arrange services remotely at your convenience. You can call or text us at any hour of the day for personal assistance.
