What is the average cost of nursing home care in the United States? With more and more senior adults needing nursing home care every year it is important to know how much one should expect to pay for their stay. Also, as average life expectancy increases, due in part to medical advancements and improved health care, the demand for nursing home beds will likely intensify.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a healthy couple in their mid-60s have a 50% chance that one spouse will live beyond his or her 91st birthday. According to the annual 2006 MetLife Market Survey of Nursing Home & Home Care Costs, the average daily cost of a private room in a nursing home in the United States is $206 per day or $75,190 annually. The cost represents an increase from last year’s $203 of 1.5%.
The highest rates, once again, were reported in Alaska where the cost is up to $388 per day. The lowest reported costs were in the Shreveport area of Louisiana at $111 per day. Nationally, the semi-private room rate rose 3.9% to $183 per day from $176.The study also found that the cost of a home health care aide averaged $19 per hour nationally, the same as last year, while homemaker/companion care averages $17 per hour, also unchanged from 2005. The lowest costs for both home health care aides and homemaker companions are in Shreveport, Louisiana where the cost for each is $12 per hour. The highest cost for a home health care aide is in Rochester, Minnesota at $29 per hour. Homemaker/companions cost the most in Rochester, Minnesota and Charleston, South Carolina at $23.
Top Five U.S. Regions with Greatest Cost for Private Nursing Home Care in 2006
• Alaska – $388 average per day
• Connecticut (Southern) – $366 per day
• Connecticut (Connecticut Valley) – $323 per day
• New York (Hudson Valley) – $311 per day
• New York (New York City area) – $311 per day
Increasing Numbers of Nursing Home Residents
Of current nursing home residents, 72% are women, and only 9.7% of all residents are under the age of 65, according to the 1999 National Nursing Home Survey, the most recent government figures available. Three-quarters of current residents aged 65 years and older need help with three or more Activities of Daily Living (ADLs).
More than half of current nursing home residents have been there for at least one year. More than 1.3 million patients received home health care services (acute and long-term care) from 7,200 agencies during 2000; 70% of the patients were 65 years of age or older. Most of the patients received skilled care (75%), with 44% receiving personal care and 37% receiving therapeutic services. Fifty-one percent received help with at least one activity of daily living, and the average length of service was 312 days, reported in 2004 from the National Center for Health Statistics.
Save Money on Long Term Care Insurance Now!
With increasing numbers of adults needing nursing home care; the availability and price of nursing homes continue to change. Some areas of the U.S. are known for having high cost nursing home care, while other areas have traditionally been lower cost. Taking time to examine your resources and preferences towards location could help you make the decision regarding your future care.
Why not take a few moments to get some accurate long term care insurance rate quotes so that you can plan for your future?
Use our free LTC insurance quote finder at the top of the page or on our home page and compare long term care health insurance quotes from multiple companies side by side. Get started finding cheap long term care insurance now!