Chapter 5 (D&D)
Hawryluk
The Economics of Healthcare
The Economics of Death
Guess How Much
100

How much money is spent on healthcare annually in the United States?

a. $1.9 trillion   

b. $3 trillion

c. $5 trillion


b. $3 trillion

100

With private equity-backed chains acquiring individual funeral homes across the nation, how does this impact the prices of cremations, burials, and funerals? 

a. Price reductions for pre-arrangements  

b. Extreme price hikes

c. There is no impact on pricing

b. Extreme price hikes

100

In 2012, the US spent $8,754 dollars per person on healthcare. How much more money did the U.S. spend on healthcare, per person, compared to Norway?

a. About $500 dollars 

b. About $1,000 dollars

c. About $3,000 dollars


c. About $3,000 dollars

100

In 2010, 31 percent of deaths were among those aged 85+. What percentage of people who died were over 85 in 1968?

a. 12.5%

b. 17.7%

c. 23.5%


a. 12.5%

100

How much, on average, do urns cost? 

a. $25 to $1,500

b. $50 to $2,000

c. $70 to $2,250  


c. $70 to $2,250  

200

Hospice care and palliative medicine are utilized when patients seem to have no other options left. Why has this become the trend in the U.S. healthcare system?

a. Its ability to normalize end-of-life care

b. Its ability to save money

c. Its ability to create more space in hospitals 


b. Its ability to save money

200

What percentage of funeral homes in the U.S. are privately owned and operated primarily by mom and pop businesses? 

a. 20% 

b. 66% 

c. 80%


c. 80%

200

_____ is a taxpayer-funded insurer that pays providers to care for seniors and _____ is a similar program for low-income households. 

a. Medicare; Affordable Care Act

b. Medicare; Medicaid

c. Medicaid; Medicare


b. Medicare; Medicaid

200

200 billion dollars were spent on Alzheimer's and dementia in 2012. How much money is projected to be spent on those illnesses in 2050?

a. $ 1 trillion

b. $3 trillion

c. $10 trillion


a. $ 1 trillion

200

What is the average price of a headstone?

a. $1000 to $3000

b. $1500 to $3500

c. $2000 to $4000


a. $1000 to $3000

300

In Death and Dying, which institution defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity?”

a. The World Health Organization

b. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention

c. The Global Health Council 


a. The World Health Organization

300

According to the National Funeral Directors Association in 2021, how many funeral home owners plan to sell their business or retire within five years? 

a. 14% 

b. 27%

c. 53%

b. 27%

300

According to economists, which of the following are the criteria for evaluating healthcare?

a. Equity, Demand, & Efficiency

b. Access, Cost, & Quality  

c. Profit & Degree of Privatization 

b. Access, Cost, & Quality  

300

In 2013, only 37% of Americans reported that they had given a lot of thought into what?

a. Where they want to be buried 

b. An advanced directive

c. Funeral pre-arrangements 


b. An advanced directive

300

What is the difference in cost between a coffin & a casket? 

a. $1000 to $5,000 for a coffin; $5,000 to $10,000 for a casket

b. $800 to $4,000 for a coffin; $4,000 to $15,000 for a casket

c. $500 to $5,000 for a coffin; $5,000 to $20,000 for a casket  


b. $800 to $4,000 for a coffin; $4,000 to $15,000 for a casket

400

Which metric aims to measure how many years of health life were lost to illness, disability, or premature death? For instance, one lost year of “healthy” life and the sum of these across the population measures the “disease burden” of a population.

a. Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 

b. Disease Burden Scale (DBS)

c. Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY)

c. Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY)

400

Individual funeral homes that are taken over by private equity-backed chains, such as Foundation Partners Group, tend to increase their calls per year, especially if the businesses are in high-cremation states, like…

a. Arizona, California, Colorado, & Florida 

b. Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, & Mississippi 

c. Vermont, Massachusetts, Maryland, & Georgia


a. Arizona, California, Colorado, & Florida 

400

Which of the following does the American healthcare system do well?

a. Diagnosis

b. Laboratory work 

c. Medication administration


a. Diagnosis

400

The vast majority of Americans would prefer to die at home, but what percentage of people die in nursing homes or hospitals?

a. 35%

b. 50%

c. 70%

c. 70%

400

The cost of transportation for funerals differ based on the distance driven, but the hearse rental itself has a base rate of…

a. Approximately $850

b. Approximately $500

c. Approximately $350

Approximately $350

500

Programs, such as the US Department of Veterans Affairs’ Comprehensive End-of-Life Care Initiative and Aetna’s Compassionate Care Program, altered the state of healthcare in the U.S. by doing what? 

a. Putting an end to all-or-nothing decision-making for patients

b. Simultaneously enrolling patients in hospice care with active treatment

c. Eliminating disease-focused treatment for those with incurable illnesses

b. Simultaneously enrolling patients in hospice care with active treatment

500

In the article, who said “We don’t take advantage of people in there when they’re not thinking clearly…That’s just not who we are.”

a. Barbara Kemmis, executive director of the Cremation Association of North America

b. Kent Robertson, president and CEO of Foundation Partners Group

c. Victoria Haneman, a Creighton University School of Law professor


b. Kent Robertson, president and CEO of Foundation Partners Group

500

The mutually beneficial relationship between congress, lobbyists, and government bureaucrats is known as what?

a. The three-pronged exchange

b. The iron triangle

c. The triple alliance


b. The iron triangle

500

On average, a funeral with a viewing and burial costs $7,181. Which expense factors in the cost of a burial that aren’t included in this number? 

a. A headstone and burial plot

b. A casket

c. Transportation of the body


a. A headstone and burial plot

500

Prices for private mausoleums vary by design. However, what is the average range to have a mausoleum built in a cemetery?

a. $8,500 to $60,000

b. $25,000 to $90,000 

c. $50,000 to $125,000


c. $50,000 to $125,000

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