The rough economy is inflicting hardship on people even in death.
Coroners and funeral directors in several cities say the number of
people seeking government-paid funerals, cremations and burials is
spiking. Most counties and states will use public money to cremate
or bury people who are too poor to pay for private services.
"People just aren't in a position to pay $7,000 for a private funeral and burial," says Lt. David Smith of the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, where the number of people seeking county burial has nearly doubled since last year.
The percentage of people in poverty in the USA is climbing, says Gregory Acs, a senior fellow at The Urban Institute. When the recession started at the end of 2007, about 12.5% of the U.S. population was considered impoverished, up from 11.7% in 2001, he says.
