Commissioners on Thursday agreed to begin paying an additional $200 to funeral homes that cremate bodies of the impoverished and homeless weighing 300 to 500 pounds.The county will pay an additional $1 per pound for every pound an indigent’s obese body is heavier than 500 pounds. And the county will now pay a $75 obesity charge to funeral homes for pick-up and transport of obese bodies.Right now, the county pays $500 for the cremation of an indigent adult regardless of weight.
A larger body ties up the crematorium, hence the need for recompense.
Yeah, we’re missing the hilarious part too, but luckily the humor wasn’t lost on officials, who apparently snickered throughout the meeting. And, added Gene Valentino (he of the initial quote), “We would have to put them on a weight loss program before they die.” Contributed Commissioner Wilson Robertson, “snickering,” “I don’t see how indigents can afford groceries.”
They’re here all week, folks! Actually, until their terms run out, at which point maybe they can get a little instruction on obesity statistics and the correlation between poverty and lack of access to healthy foods, among other things. Despite their hilarity, however, officials did vote unanimously for the new fees.
Death A Laughing Matter To Some Commissioners [PNJ]
