Like any business, funeral homes must make a profit to exist. As long as the profit is reasonable and the services rendered are necessary, complete, and satisfactory to the family, profit is legitimate. Talking about the mark up on caskets is really not the point. Other than the family, there are veteran, union, and other organizational benefits to pay for funerals, including, in certain instances, a lump sum death payment from Social Security. In Wyoming, allowances are available from the Department Of Family Services in certain cases.
Individual counties have burial assistance for indigent people.
Most funeral directors are aware of the various benefits and know how to obtain them for the indigent. However, funeral directors often absorb costs above and beyond what is provided by agencies to insure the deceased a respectable burial. The Association operates a Master Trust Fund to insure these monies are safely kept to fund the funeral at the time of need.