Does Medicare Cover Funeral Expenses?

Health Line

16-05-2025

Key takeaways
Medicare doesn't cover funeral expenses. It's a health insurance program primarily for individuals over 65 or those younger who live with certain disabilities or conditions.
Medicare does provide assistance with end-of-life care through hospice services, which include doctor and nursing care, therapy, medical equipment, social services, and medications.
In addition, the Social Security Administration (SSA) offers a lump sum death benefit of $255 to surviving spouses or children, and individuals can set up burial funds, reserving up to $1,500 each for future funeral expenses.
Medicare is a form of health insurance primarily for individuals over 65 and people under 65 who have certain disabilities or conditions. It covers medical expenses such as hospital stays and doctor's visits, as well as preventive care like vaccinations.
While Medicare doesn't cover funeral costs, it does offer assistance with end-of-life care, specifically hospice services. In addition, the Social Security Administration (SSA) offers a lump sum death benefit to surviving spouses or children.
How much do funerals cost?
Losing a loved one and grieving for that loss is difficult, especially when you also have to plan the funeral and manage its costs.
Funerals can have varied costs depending on the type of service or burial you choose. A 2021 study by the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) found that the median price of a funeral rose 6.6% in 5 years, reaching $7,848, while the median cost of a funeral with cremation increased by 11.3%, reaching $6,970.
Generally speaking, you'll need to consider the following expenses:
Funeral fees: Funeral providers typically charge a basic fee for their services, which include planning and coordinating the funeral, getting required permits, transportation, embalming, burial or cremation, and use of the funeral home or vehicles.
Casket: If you choose a burial, you'll have to purchase a casket. The cost of a casket can range widely from around $2,000 to as high as $10,000, depending on the type you choose and the material it's made from.
Honorarium: Typically, you are expected to gift around $100 to $300 to your funeral officiant, such as a minister or rabbi. You make a similar gift of around $50 to $100 to a musician if you include one in your service.
Other expenses: Even if you choose cremation, you may still need to rent a casket for the visitation and funeral, and some states may require you to pay for a liner or vault in the ground to house the casket.
To help you plan for funeral costs, the Federal Trade Commission offers a more detailed checklist of anticipated expenses.
How much will Social Security pay for funeral expenses?
While Medicare doesn't cover funeral expenses, the SSA will give you a lump sum of $255.
You qualify if you were the spouse of the deceased and lived with them prior to their death or you lived separately but are still eligible for some of their Social Security benefits. In the absence of a surviving spouse, a child of the deceased can also collect this benefit.
In addition, if you're able to plan ahead, you and your spouse have the option to set up a burial fund and reserve up to $1,500 each for future funeral expenses.
Where else can I get help paying for a funeral?
Generally speaking, the type of insurance most likely to help cover funerals is life insurance. These policies often include burial insurance, with a death benefit of $5,000 to $25,000.
In addition, the following are some resources that may help support you in terms of funeral costs:
Veteran Affairs (VA): If you're a child or spouse of a veteran, you can get up to $2,000 from the VA.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): FEMA may help cover the funeral expenses of people who died during certain natural disasters and from COVID-19.
Charities: Local and national charities may help with funeral expenses. Some may be associated with religious institutions, such as churches in your area, while others may be geared toward specific kinds of deaths. For example, Final Farewell offers financial assistance for child funerals.
What does Medicare pay before someone dies?
Medicare does cover hospice care. A doctor will need to verify that you or your loved one has an end stage illness with a life expectancy of less than 6 months.
You'll also need to sign a statement confirming your desire for palliative care and your decision not to seek other treatments.
Covered services include:
doctor and nursing care
therapy
medical equipment
social services
medications
Original Medicare (parts A and B) covers most of these costs, while Medicare Advantage and Medigap can help with additional expenses.
Frequently asked questions
How do I report a death to Medicare?
When a Medicare beneficiary dies, the death must be reported to the SSA and Medicare. You can do this by calling the SSA at 800-772-1213 (TTY: 800-325-0778) or by providing the deceased person's Social Security number to their funeral director, who can make the report on their behalf.
What happens to a body if no one can pay for a funeral?
In most cases, if you can't afford a funeral, you have the option to fill out the paperwork with your local county coroner's office, and the state will handle the arrangements. This means you won't have any control over the location or method of burial or cremation, though.
Takeaway
Medicare is a type of health insurance that primarily benefits individuals age 65 years or older and people under age 65 years who have certain disabilities or conditions. While it does cover hospice care, it doesn't cover funeral costs.
That said, the SSA provides a one-time death benefit to surviving spouses or children. Additional local and national resources may be able to help you cover funeral costs.