– Recently, we have witnessed several situations that may raise concerns. The “grandmothers’” project appeared, the prices of public nurseries increased. The government increased the refund of orthoses for patients, so their prices increased almost exactly as much as the refund changed – says Paweł Skotnicki, an insurance and economic expert.
The government is considering the amount of the funeral allowance.
The funeral allowance in Poland currently amounts to PLN 4,000. This is definitely not enough to cover the costs of even a basic funeral ceremony. The government has been planning to increase the funeral allowance for several months. The indexation is expected and does not raise any controversy. At the same time, there are some reasons for concern.
– There are a whole bunch of state benefits that have not been indexed for many years, and the costs of services on the market have been increasing. Currently, PLN 4,000 is not enough to organize a funeral, it is estimated that the cost of organizing a burial ranges from PLN 6 to even a dozen or so thousand, depending on the family's decision. Increasing this amount is rational and socially expected. However, we must be aware that in the current economic times, there are situations when an increase in public benefits is automatically associated with an increase in market prices. Companies that are beneficiaries of this money will certainly consider increasing prices – says Paweł Skotnicki.
– There is a huge risk that the prices of funeral services will increase. I expect a similar situation to the recent event in Koszalin, where the "granny" generated an increase in the prices of public nurseries. The "2% credit" also operated on similar principles. The system of increasing the care allowance should be designed so that people benefit, and not necessarily companies that increase prices without justification – says Paweł Skotnicki, an insurance consultant and economic expert.
– Indexation should be regular. Its amount could be linked, for example, to the average national salary or the minimum wage – he adds.
Funerals can be insured. The issue of funeral allowances then ceases to be very important
An increasing number of Poles are opting for funeral insurance. This ensures that the ceremony is carried out at the level expected by the deceased. The insurance also covers the settlement of matters related to the deceased's estate.