Anyone know anything about autopsy costs and insurance?

Unlikely anyone here knows, but figured I may as well check.

It seems that with Medicare (and possibly other insurance) autopsy costs are only covered if the autopsy is specifically recommended by the doctor/surgeon.

However, if the doctor in question is just trying to cover for themselves they would obviously not recommend or authorize an autopsy, forcing the family to pay out of pocket for one.

Is this common? Are there any protections for this? I know healthcare in the US is fucked but this one is new to me.

It never even occurred to me that autopsies would be covered in health insurance because the patient's health is kind of a moot point by then, no?

I can honestly say that never once did autopsy costs come up when I worked in pricing a few years ago for Pennsylvania, so at the very least they weren't the things causing rate increases.

I could see it being an optional life insurance charge?

Yeah, actually maybe it was life insurance-- I might be getting my wires crossed since I'm getting some of this info secondhand.

I never autopsies were something you had to pay for