I read this question on another site and thought I would post it on here. I would love to hear some feedback on this topic since this is something that everyone in the funeral industry will have to deal with at some point.

"we have all dealt with overweight bodies. my question is. Is it ethical to charge more for the removal and embalming of someone who is obese?? Think about it, it takes more work to do a removal, and the higher risk of back injury. When you embalm it will take longer and you will be using more chemicals. The oversized caskets cost a lot more, So why shouldn't we get more for doing more work? But we all know how the airlines got attacked for charging fat people for 2 seats even though they were so wide they took up 2 seats.
Wondering what everyone's thought was on this."

Posted by:

Ryan Thogmartin (Huppstiverson)
Connecting Directors, Co-Founder

I personally don't think that it would be unethical to charge more.

The casket company charges more for oversized products.

The vault company charges more for oversized vaults.

Why can't the funeral directors? The embalming process takes longer, more chemical is used, and in some cases you may need to use the assistance of another employee.

Just my opinion. I would like to hear what others think and are doing for these type of calls.

Posted by:

Ryan Thogmartin (Huppstiverson)
Connecting Directors, Co-Founder

I have only handle a few really obese people, but technically you can't charge more for overweight people it is discrimination. You have to have one set charge for your embalming whether the person is 90 pounds or 500 pounds.

I see your point that you are using more time and more man power for and over weight person and you would like to charge more but it is not ethical.

So in answer to your question it is not ethical to charge more if the person is overweight.

I agree with Andrea. The people we serve don't need this extra burden at such a bad time. You might lose future business from families if you didn't approach the subject of obesity in a gentle way with them, therefore you risk insulting them! They won't come back if you do that..

Some funeral homes will not charge for an "obese" removal.. however, they will charge a nominal fee ($40-50ish) if a second person is required.. this is just my experience.

good question, and so are some of the answers but truly it is unethical, and discriminatory. although; as all of us in this funeral profession know, that an extra charge is always added to the price of cremation for overweight individuals. so why should the embalmer not be compensated for their extra work and effort,which in some cases is no easy task .

No it is not ethical to charge more. Do we have it on our price list? We charge a flat rate for embalming, even for autopsies everyone pays the same. Is it worth an extra 50 or 100 dollars to insult and lose a family?  Not a my place of employment. We treat everyone with the respect the deserve.

I don't know if it is ethical or not. That is a hard question to answer... But, I got an updated price list from a commercial embalming/cremation service that we use from time to time, and they now have an upcharge for any removal of a body that weighs 400 pounds plus.

They also now charge an additional $650 for embalming CJD, and an extra $300 for handling the a CJD for cremation ect.

Is it ethical? I don't know, but I can't see not charging this extra fee to the families. Economically it just does not work out.

I have not had to deal with that yet, but I would assume that I will in time.

No it is not ethical to charge more for a obese person. Would you charge less for the 90 pound 90 year old lady?

We should all have the equipment to handle these situations, realistically it doesn't take anymore fluid, it may take some more time hunting for vessels no big deal.

Let's say your making the arrangements, and the time comes to explain to the Widow or the children," since your dad was so fat, we have to whack you another 300 dollars for our embalming inconvienence, oh and by the way the oversized casket and vault costs more, but you get less choices." get real.

One last insult, for someone who probably was insulted their whole life.   Remember its about sympathy and service.

Better get used to, the average male is 250 and female is 220, get off the treadmill and pick up some barbells, or hire some muscle.

I think it is quite easy to justify an added expense on the removal side of the equation. If it takes 3-4 people to move someone out of a home or facility, it's appropriate to charge extra.

On the embalming side, we've grown comfortable charging a flat fee for years. However, if you look at cremations, it does take longer to cremate an obese person. Even with a small body, you have a minimum of 2.5-3 hours per cremation. Therefore, it's becoming commonplace to charge more to cremate an obese person (in excess of a certain weight). You could look at embalming in the same way. There is a baseline for time and materials that applies to most cases. If it's properly disclosed, and explained, to a family, I would have no problem with a home charging an additional fee for the time and materials needed over and above the baseline (1.5 - 2 hours, 2 bottles fluid, rectifiant, maybe a little dye, etc...).

My 2 cents...It's all in how it's disclosed and explained.

At what point do we draw the line of what is obese?

There is a standard that is used in embalming--one gallon of fluid per 50 lbs of body weight. We are professionals, not common laborers. When we charge an embalming fee, that is for a job. Who is to say how long it should take and how much fluid is to be used. That is up to the embalmer's professional knowledge and judgement.