How is the Funeral Rule working for you?

Many of us don’t have experience planning a funeral. When it’s time to make arrangements, we might ask friends and neighbors for information about local providers. Or ask family members to help shop and sort through the choices. Many of us do research online.

You may not realize it, but the FTC Funeral Rule is also here to help. The Rule gives people rights to important information, and lets them compare prices among funeral homes. Under the Rule, funeral providers must give you an itemized price list when you visit a funeral home to ask about funeral services, and let you see a casket price list before you see the caskets. And, you don’t need to visit a funeral provider to get information; the Rule says funeral homes must give you price information over the phone if you ask for it.

The FTC is reviewing the Funeral Rule to learn how it affects people who shop for funeral goods and services – and how it affects funeral providers, including small businesses. As part of the review, the FTC wants people to send comments to the public record until April 14, 2020. You can comment on the FTC’s general questions, like whether there is a continuing need for the Funeral Rule, and what benefits it gives to people, if any. Or, you can respond to specific questions, including:

• Should funeral providers be required to post their itemized price lists online?
• Would a standardized price list format make it easier for consumers to review and compare itemized price information from multiple funeral homes?
• Should any of the Funeral Rule’s required disclosures be changed to improve clarity?

Learn more about shopping for funeral services. If you think a funeral provider violated the Funeral Rule, report it to the FTC.

If you want to comment on the Rule, please go to the public record. Comments you make on this blog don’t go to the official Rule review public record.

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