With the cost of assisted living care increasing dramatically on a national basis, this senior living option remains most expensive in Washington, D.C., according to the 12th annual Cost of Care Survey from Genworth.
“The survey shows a dramatic increase in facility based care, including assisted living and nursing home facilities, while the cost to receive care at home through a home health aide is rising at a more moderate growth rate,” the insurance company stated in a press release announcing the findings Thursday.
On a national basis, the yearly costs that consumers pay for assisted living care has risen 2.5% annually over the last five years. Costs have increased at a faster rate in the past year.
For 2015, the national median monthly rate for for assisted living care is $3,600, which translates to $43,200 annually. This is a 2.86% increase from 2014, the survey shows.
As in past years, the 2015 Cost of Care Survey shows that costs vary substantially among different regions, with assisted living costs especially steep on the East Coast.
The 10 most expensive places for one-bedroom, single-occupancy assisted living care are:
Washington, D.C.—$94,050
Delaware—$68,940
New Jersey—$68,700
Alaska—$68,430
Connecticut—$66,900
Rhode Island—$63,900
Massachusetts—$63,600
New Hampshire—$61,230
Maine—$57,600
Washington—$55,500
The rankings are similar to those in 2014, but costs in the nation’s capital now are significantly higher, up from a median annual cost of $82,674 in the 2014 survey.
The state of Washington did not appear on last year’s list, and Hawaii dropped out of the top 10 this year.
The states with the least expensive care were more geographically diverse, including Missouri ($30,300), Georgia ($34,560) and Utah ($36,000).
Nursing home care costs have increased even more substantially than AL costs, with a five-year annual growth of 3.5% for a semi-private room and 3.95% for a private room. For 2015, the national median daily rate is $220 for a semi-private room and $250 for a private room. That’s a year-over-year increase of 3.77% and 4.17%, respectively.
Meanwhile, the cost for home care aides has risen just 1% annually over the last five years. In 2015, the median hourly cost for an aide from an agency is $20.
The report is based on information compiled by CareScout, which contacted more than 47,000 providers and gleaned 15,000 completed surveys.
This year’s survey was accompanied by a special complementary study, “Aging Across Generations.” The current generation of young adults, termed Millennials, do not believe their parents have prepared well for long-term care needs, and they are determined to be more prepared, according to the investigation into how different generations view aging and long-term care needs.
More than a quarter of Millennials who were polled (27%) assigned a failing grade to their parents’ planning for senior living needs, and more than half (56%) said they think they are better informed and will plan better for themselves.
“Millennials have more insight and information available to us than any generation before, and Genworth’s study shows we’re determined to use it all,” said Nadira Hira, journalist and author of a forthcoming book on Millennials and leadership, in a statement. “What remains to be seen is whether we can translate that intellectual awareness into meaningful action.”
The complete Genworth 2015 Cost of Care Survey is available for download, including the state-by-state cost breakdowns for the various long-term care options.
Written by Tim Mullaney
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