First of five parts. The American Way of Death , Jessica Mitford told of grieving families bullied into paying inflated prices for unnecessary embalmings and for waterproof caskets padded with Sealy Posturepedic mattresses, lined with satin pillows for an eternal slumber. That was fully 36 years ago, and despite government efforts to reform the funeral business many of the old problems remain and new ones have emerged. So loud was the public cry for reform after publication of Mitford's scathing indictment of the industry that the Federal Trade Commission launched its first effort at regulation. And so resistant was the industry that the debate over regulation lasted nearly two decades.
Federal regulations require funeral directors to give families an itemized price list.
But some don't. When they're caught, they're fined. But the industry struck a deal with the government so the names of violators don't become public. The federal regulations were never meant to contain prices. The reforms did not cover cemeteries.