The stock of major health care insurer United Health has dropped from $594 per share in April 2025 to Friday’s close at $237 per share.  That’s about a 60% drop in value in a little over 3 months.  And, from the trends that I’ve been watching and some recent announcements I don’t think that stock drop bodes well for companies that will be paying premiums for employee health care in 2026.

United Health has had some non-revenue issues such as the CEO of one division being stalked, shot, and killed while attending a conference in New York City.  But the major issue is probably not even company related. . . . it is simply the cost and frequency of use of health services in the United States.

Here’s what was written about the company’s Earnings Report last week, “In its second quarter release, UnitedHealth stated that its lower earnings were because healthcare costs were rising faster than insurance pricing. . . . The company also said that it expected the cost and pricing trends to continue for at least the rest of the year. . . “

In other words, the combination of American health care service pricing and the frequency of use of health care by Americans is outpacing the ability to pay claims with the available premium dollars collected.  That’s a big problem for United Health, but also will become a big problem for businesses in America as they will soon be asked to increase their payment to their health care providers for the premiums they pay as an employee benefit.

And, the rise in health costs don’t seem to be ending anytime soon.  Another article on United Health had this comment “. . .  medical cost trends (are) expected to further increase from an estimated sum of 7.5% in 2025 to 10% in 2026”,

Those cost increases won’t just be for United Health clients, Medicare recently gave notice that they believe the annual premium paid by most Medicare recipients is expected to increase 11.6% for 2026 coverage. Still don’t believe me when I say you better look for premium increases?  Here’s another indicator — this article from MarketWatch indicates that those that receive health insurance from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) markets will see a median premium increase of about 15%.

So, as you start to do the work on your 2026 budgets it may be time to make some difficult decisions such as passing more of the cost of benefits on to the employees themselves.  However, as the labor market seems to be tightening up that decision could lead to disenfranchised employees and lead to more problems that you don’t want to be tackling.

In any regard, the sooner you can get health insurance quotes and the earlier you make these budgetary and personnel decisions the better off you will be.

Here’s a recent article from CNN titled “Here’s why you may be spending more on health care next year”.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  Figuring out the benefits that our funeral home would offer our employees was one of my least favorite activities in operating a business.  I always knew what I would like for benefits but my needs and wants were different from my employees — and most of the team members had differing needs and wants. . . . .Younger employees wanted child care help and older employees preferred full payment of health care costs.

I eventually sat down with each full-time employee and talked to them about what would be their perfect benefit package.  Our business eventually came to a decision that we would offer a “Cafeteria plan” of options with a fixed amount of annual benefit dollars per employee.  That solved my dilemma of being the person that chose our benefit package and let each employee put money to their specific need. . . . .In that package we offered health insurance payments to our group plan, child care payment benefits, additional profit-sharing retirement money, other insurance options such as Aflac supplemental insurance, and some other items.

As to personal thoughts I have some opinions based on my time on the Board of the University of Minnesota where we operated a physicians group and had a partnership with a hospital group for the operation of the University hospital assets.  I will acknowledge that hospital operating costs have low margins but my opinion is simple, we have to find a way to drastically bend the curve of health care costs and utilizations or eventually America will not have the resources for business investment simply because we are putting so much of our economy into “servicing” the health needs of our citizens.

In 2023 the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of health care services was 17.6% of the economic activity of the United States.  In 1960, the United States GDP percentage for health care services was only 5%.  That low percentage is one reason the 1960’s was a period where “U.S. private investment grew rapidly, especially in the first half of the decade, outpacing the growth rates seen in some later periods. This was fueled, in part, by a 106-month economic expansion, the longest in US history up to that point.”

That Genesis artificial intelligence generated statement ( the above quote) gives some indication to the potential lost “opportunity costs” that the United States is forgoing because we cannot get a handle on our rising health care costs.  It is my hope that this is one of the area’s where articifical intelligence can be harnassed to help with diagnostic issues and treatments knowing a patient’s DNA, medical history, family history, and current vital signs. . . . and do so by bending the cost curve downward.

On the other hand, one cannot look at the increased health care services costs (as a percentage of our GDP) of the past 60 years without acknowledging that life spans in the United States have increased from about 69 years in 1960 to 79 years in 2024.  That’s an extra 10 years of life the average citizen is getting on this planet. . . . .  What cost would one put on that?

However, it is probably time to get your health insurance quotes and make some difficult decisions on your budget for 2026.

Related Article —  “U.S. Life Expectancy 1950-2025  — Trends and influences over the Decades.”  North American Community Hub Stats

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FAMIC Leads Profession-Wide Effort to Tackle Funeral Service Workforce Crisis

New video series offers peer-driven solutions to help funeral homes recruit and retain staff 

Brookfield, Wis. – The Funeral and Memorial Information Council (FAMIC), in collaboration with its member associations, has taken a proactive step in addressing one of the funeral profession’s most urgent challenges: attracting and keeping qualified employees. Today, FAMIC announced the release of Hiring and Retention: Tips from Your Colleagues, a new video series featuring real-world solutions from funeral home owners and managers from throughout the United State and across the globe. 

“Recruiting and retaining qualified staff isn’t just a challenge, it’s one of the greatest threats to the future of funeral service,” said Chris Robinson, president of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA). “As associations, we have a responsibility to lead with action and provide practical tools our members can use right now. This video series is a tangible example of how NFDA and its FAMIC partners are working together to help funeral homes build strong, sustainable teams.” 

The 13-video series, hosted on FAMIC’s YouTube channel, features 12 short videos, each spotlighting practical strategies being used by funeral home owners and managers to recruit and retain high-quality employees.  A final compilation video brings the best insights together in a single resource. Topics include mental health and well-being, creating inclusive workplace cultures, and community-based recruitment. 

“Our members are constantly asking, ‘What’s working, and how can we learn from each other?’ This series answers that call,” said Christopher Waite, incoming chair of Selected Independent Funeral Homes (Selected). “By sharing candid insights from real funeral directors, who face the same challenges and are finding creative ways to overcome them, we’re helping firms move from frustration to forward momentum.” 

The funeral professionals who made time to share advice with their colleagues include:

• Eric Bliley, Richmond, Virginia
• Jim Busch, Cleveland, Ohio
• Colin Haskett, Ontario, Canada
• Bettina Jose, Manila, Philippines
• Jimmi Anne Lowe Ellington, Burlington, North Carolina
• Carmalita March-Harris, Baltimore, Maryland
• Adam Martin, Mount Morris, Michigan
• Leili McMurrough, Chicago, Illinois
• Larnique Mickens, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Emily Nelson, Denver, Colorado
• Marcus Nelson, Spooner, Wisconsin
• Lori Pray, Charlotte, Michigan

Tips range from small, impactful actions, like hosting quarterly staff lunches, daily check-ins and redistributing workloads, to long-term strategies such as building recruitment pipelines through job fairs, social media and partnerships with hospice professionals. 

“This effort reflects what our profession needs most right now – leadership, collaboration and real-world solutions,” said Kim Hunter, president of the International Order of the Golden Rule (OGR). “Through FAMIC, we’ve harnessed the insight and experience of funeral professionals who are finding success, and we’re making that knowledge available to everyone. It’s a powerful example of how associations can work together to move the profession forward.” 

The video series is part of FAMIC’s broader mission to provide valuable information and education to the profession. The videos will be promoted by NFDA, Selected and OGR through email, social media and their websites. 

Watch the full series on the FAMIC YouTube channel: YouTube.com/@FAMIC_Tips. 

About FAMIC 

The Funeral and Memorial Information Council is an association of associations representing all facets of the deathcare profession. With members including the National Funeral Directors Association, Selected Independent Funeral Homes and the International Order of the Golden Rule, FAMIC serves as a unified voice and a leading provider of education and information. Its mission is to support informed consumers and funeral professionals who value meaningful memorialization. # # #

Mario World Funeral Home Crisis?!?!?!? | FFFW 208

DISCLAIMER: None of the F’s in FFFW stand for “facts.” Enjoy the jokes and satire.

Hey welcome back to issue 2-0-8 of the FFFW! It’s October 11 and you know what that means- absolutely nothing! But, every day is a little special- right? So I searched through the internet to find some notable things happening new today:

1) National Sausage Pizza Day
2) The Draconid Meteor Shower
3) It’s the 50th anniversary of Elton John’s “Yellow Brick Road”
4) Monarch butterflies are in migration to Mexico
5) It’s Pet Obesity Awareness Day

So take the dog for a walk, look at some butterflies, and listen to a lil Elton John. We’re gonna have a good one today!

Excited for NFDA New Orleans this year? We are! The biggest show of the year is only a few weeks away and we can’t wait to see you at #NFDA2024!

We’re in Booth 1852 this year. Stop by to see how MemoryShare has simplified livestreaming and is transforming the way funeral homes reach more families. (Or just come grab a pair of socks— we’ll have those too.)

See you in New Orleans!

Funeral Homes in the Mushroom Kingdom Report ‘Super Mushrooms’ as Major Obstacle to Proper Death Certificates

Funeral homes across the Mushroom Kingdom are facing an unexpected crisis as the magical properties of Super Mushrooms wreak havoc on death certificates. The once-final farewell has become a temporary inconvenience, with deceased individuals springing back to life shortly after their time of death. “We’ll have everything set up—the casket, the flowers, the nice obituary—and then boom! They’re walking out of the embalming room as if nothing happened,” complained Toadsworth, a veteran funeral director. “It’s getting impossible to do my job when half my clients keep showing up for round two.”

The situation has left funeral professionals scrambling to manage the chaos, particularly with the challenge of filing accurate paperwork. “I can’t exactly put ‘briefly deceased’ on the death certificate,” Toadsworth added, shaking his head. Super Mushrooms, known for their life-restoring properties, have become a thorn in the side of morticians and funeral directors, turning traditional services into unpredictable, two-act affairs. Kingdom authorities have offered little help, dismissing the issue as part of the ‘magic’ of the Mushroom Kingdom. “We need regulations!” urged Koopa Mortis of Shell & Sons Funeral Home. “Either you’re dead, or you’re not. This in-between is killing us.”

In response, some funeral homes are adding ‘re-death’ clauses to their contracts, ensuring they still get paid when their customers return for a second go. “Honestly, it’s become a revenue stream,” Mortis admitted, though not without frustration. “We’re doing twice the work for the same clients, and it’s just exhausting. If this keeps up, we might as well just put in a revolving door.” Meanwhile, families are left wondering if their loved ones are truly at rest—or just waiting for their next resurrection.

Trivia

How many hearses would be needed to cover the entire surface of an NFL field?

(Click the correct answer, and you’ll get a video of a puppy. Click the wrong answer, and you’ll see dissapointed man.)

Answer Choices:
A) 100
B) 200
C) 400

You Otter Be Proud

Here’s some good news going on in the profession.

1. Why is it important to have a funeral director?
2. Old Lick Cemetery in Roanoke cleaned, repaired with help of national expert
3. Fifth-generation funeral director Jeff Monreal helps families grieve, celebrate loved ones