Final Expense and Burial Insurance in Oklahoma
The price of funerals is going up. In fact, the price of a funeral with a burial has risen by 6.6% in the past five years. The price of a funeral with cremation has risen by 11.3%. In 2021, the median price of a funeral with a burial, including a vault, was $9,420. The average cost of cremation that same year was $6,971, according to the National Funeral Directors Association.
This article will focus on funeral prices in Oklahoma
How to Get Burial Insurance in Oklahoma
When looking for burial insurance in Oklahoma, you have a lot of options. Your first step is to look for a life insurance company that you can trust. How do you do that? By only considering insurers that have been in business for many years and have built a good reputation with consumers.
Next, it’s time to call the prospective insurance companies and speak to them about your options. After you get the specifics about what the insurer offers, ask for a quote. They will ask your sex and age, then either schedule you for a medical exam or, if you qualify for a no medical exam policy, ask you a few questions.
By visiting the Lincoln Heritage website, you can submit your information online and get an instant quote.
Funeral and Burial Expectations in Oklahoma
The median cost of a funeral in Oklahoma is $7,196. That cost includes the local price a of casket for $1,500 and the national average price of a vault of $1,572. The other things that make up the cost are:
- A non-declinable basic services fee
- Removal and/or transfer of remains to the funeral home
- Embalming
- Other preparation of the body
- Use of the facilities and staff for the viewing
- Use of the facilities and staff for the funeral ceremony
- Use of the service car or van
- Printed materials such as the memorial package
- Vault
- Cremation fee (if the funeral home uses a third party)
- Cremation casket
- Urn
In Oklahoma, the loved ones of the deceased do not have to hire a funeral director to carry out the final disposition of the body. Regardless of where the deceased passed, you will not need a permit to transport the body. The only exception is if you plan to move the body out of Oklahoma – in that case, you will need a burial transit permit.
Death Certificate
The death certificate can be filed by the funeral director or the family of the deceased. The certificate must first be filled out with the deceased’s personal information and delivered to the medical examiner or attending physician within 24 hours hour of the death. Then, 48 hours after the death, the medical information must be filled in and the death certificate must be filed electronically by the medical personnel or in person by the family.
Embalming
State law requires that bodies must be embalmed if the final disposition will not take place within 24 hours. Also, viewings are not legal after 24 hours if the body has not been embalmed.
Burial Requirements
There are no Oklahoma laws that prohibit families from burying a loved one on their private land, but it is recommended that you check with local authorities to ensure that no laws or regulations exist to the contrary in your specific area.
Cremation Services
In Oklahoma, the medical examiner must provide authorization if you want to cremate a loved one’s body. Likewise, you must get their approval if you plan to bury them at sea. But the state does not require you to go through a funeral director for cremation. That said, many crematories will only work with a funeral home, so be sure to check with yours if you don’t want to hire one.
You can scatter ashes on private land or in a scattering garden in Oklahoma. You can also scatter ashes on public land as long as it doesn’t present a hazard to anyone. To scatter ashes at sea, you will need a permit, and it must be done at least three miles from the shore. No law prohibits scattering ashes by air as long as you scatter the ashes only and keep the urn with you.
Average Funeral Costs in Oklahoma
You will pay different prices for funerals in Oklahoma, depending on where you live and the type of funeral you want. For instance, some people spend a lot of money on flowers or a casket, while others want a simple ceremony.
Here are samples of the costs of funerals in two Oklahoma cities.
The average cost of a funeral in Oklahoma City is $7,605. The general per-item prices in Oklahoma City are:
| Service | Average Cost |
| Basic services | $1,675 |
| Visitation and viewing | $260 |
| Ceremony | $465 |
| Graveside service | $171 |
| Remains transportation | $316 |
| Direct burial | $752 |
| Direct cremation | $1,722 |
| Embalming | $672 |
| Vault (national average) | $1,572 |
The average price for a funeral in Tulsa is $7,096. The general per-item prices in Tulsa are:
| Service | Average Cost |
| Basic services | $1,547 |
| Visitation and viewing | $289 |
| Ceremony | $464 |
| Graveside service | $115 |
| Remains transportation | $279 |
| Direct burial | $472 |
| Direct cremation | $1,580 |
| Embalming | $778 |
| Vault (national average) | $1,572 |
These are examples of just two Oklahoma cities. Be sure to speak to the funeral homes in your area to find local prices.
A Note About Vaults
If you just bury a casket, the weight of the soil and the machinery needed to dig the hole and cover it could cause the graveside to collapse. To combat this, most cemeteries require that graves are equipped with a vault. A vault is an outer grave liner.
There are many types of vaults, and each comes with a different price tag. Here are the types of vaults you will find, along with the average price for each.
- Basic, unlined concrete grave liner: $400 - $1,500
- Basic plastic- or steel-reinforced sealed concrete vault: $600 - $2,000
- Double-reinforced vault of heavy concrete lined with plastic, porcelain enamel, or metal: $2,000 - $4,000
- Premium metal burial vaults or vaults covered with a veneer of fake marble or granite: $2,000 - $16,000+
- Protective urn vaults for cremains: $125 - $900+
Help With Funeral Costs in Oklahoma
The cost of funerals continues to rise and when someone has to pay for an unexpected one, they are usually shocked by the price. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to prevent your loved ones from having to deal with this financial nightmare.
Term Insurance
Considered the cheapest type of policy, term life insurance is one way to help pay for your funeral after you pass. But there is a reason why these policies are less than others. The biggest drawback with a term life insurance policy is that it is only good for a term. For instance, if you purchase a 10-year term life insurance policy, you will pay the premiums for ten years, and then it’s no longer valid. You will have to purchase another policy, but you will be ten years older – and your health may not be as good – so, you will pay higher premiums.
Final Expense Insurance
An alternative to term life insurance is a whole life policy, and that’s where final expense insurance comes in. With this type of policy, as long as you pay the premiums, the policy will never expire – and your premiums will never go up. That means if you take out the policy when you are young and premiums are inexpensive, you will pay the same rate even as you age.
These policies typically provide $20,000 or less in face value and are a great tool to use if you want to take care of your final expenses before you pass.
Pre-need Insurance
Less known is pre-need insurance. This type of policy can only be purchased at a funeral home, and each funeral home offers a different policy. It works like this: You work with a funeral director to plan your funeral, and the funeral director comes up with a price for it. This is the cost of your pre-need insurance policy.
But here is where the difference comes in: You can purchase a guaranteed insurance policy and a non-guaranteed policy.
A guaranteed policy guarantees that you will get the funeral that you want when you pass. That’s because you will pay tomorrow’s prices for your funeral. The funeral director will use the project rate of inflation to determine this price.
You can also purchase a non-guaranteed policy. That means that whatever price you pay is the amount of money your loved ones will have for your funeral. That amount might not be enough to pay for the funeral you planned because prices may have gone up. Your loved ones will have to come up with the difference or change your planned funeral to meet their budget.
Government Assistance
You can get some help with funeral expenses from federal and state governments. For instance, the federal government will pay qualifying spouses and children of the deceased $255 via the Social Security Administration. This is a one-time payment.
There are some counties in Oklahoma that will provide up to $300 for funeral assistance. To apply, you will need to fill out an application through a funeral home.
Average Overall Rates for Final Expense Insurance in Oklahoma
At this point, you may be wondering what you will pay for final expense insurance. While you won’t know your premiums until you get a quote, here are some charts that show you the average premiums based on sex and age. Your health will also factor into the premium that you pay.
Monthly Premium Rates for Men*
| $5,000 Death Benefit | ||
| Age | Determined 'In Good Health' by Insurer | No Health Questions Asked |
| 50 | $16 | $20 |
| 55 | $19 | $24 |
| 60 | $23 | $29 |
| 65 | $29 | $35 |
| 70 | $38 | $44 |
| 75 | $51 | $63 |
| 80 | $65 | $82 |
* Estimated rates do not reflect the rates of any particular life insurance company.
| $10,000 Death Benefit | ||
| Age | Determined 'In Good Health' by Insurer | No Health Questions Asked |
| 50 | $30 | $40 |
| 55 | $35 | $46 |
| 60 | $43 | $57 |
| 65 | $56 | $68 |
| 70 | $74 | $88 |
| 75 | $100 | $125 |
| 80 | $126 | $162 |
* Estimated rates do not reflect the rates of any particular life insurance company.
Monthly Premium Rates for Women*
| $5,000 Death Benefit | ||
| Age | Determined 'In Good Health' by Insurer | No Health Questions Asked |
| 50 | $14 | $15 |
| 55 | $16 | $18 |
| 60 | $18 | $24 |
| 65 | $22 | $28 |
| 70 | $28 | $35 |
| 75 | $38 | $46 |
| 80 | $48 | $64 |
* Estimated rates do not reflect the rates of any particular life insurance company.
| $10,000 Death Benefit | ||
| Age | Determined 'In Good Health' by Insurer | No Health Questions Asked |
| 50 | $25 | $28 |
| 55 | $28 | $36 |
| 60 | $33 | $45 |
| 65 | $41 | $55 |
| 70 | $53 | $69 |
| 75 | $72 | $90 |
| 80 | $93 | $126 |
* Estimated rates do not reflect the rates of any particular life insurance company.
Leading Causes of Death in Oklahoma
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading causes of death in Oklahoma are:
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- COVID
- Accidents
- Chronic lower respiratory diseases
- Stroke
- Diabetes
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Suicide
- Chronic Liver Disease/Cirrhosis
No Exam in Oklahoma
Not all insurance policies require you to take a medical exam. In some instances, you can qualify for a no-exam insurance policy just by answering a few questions related to your health.
Free Look Period
If you purchase an insurance policy in Oklahoma, you will have ten days from the date you receive the policy to change your mind about it. If you do, you must notify the insurer within ten days. The insurer must then refund any premiums you have paid within 30 days.