Assisted Living Average Cost $90K Per Year

Demands for nursing home, assisted living, and home healthcare agencies are expanding rapidly. However, costs for the services can vary widely, according to a report from Univita Health, a Scottsdale, AZ, company that locates and manages resources for this aging population.

Univita Health surveyed more than 2,000 nursing homes, 2,000 assisted living facilities and 2,000 home healthcare agencies nationwide between April and May 2010. Rates obtained included private pay rates for single-occupancy rooms in Medicare-certified skilled nursing facilities, hourly rates for home health aides for Medicare-certified and non-certified home healthcare agencies, and monthly rates for assisted living facilities.

The average annual cost nationwide of a private room in a Medicare-certified skilled nursing facility (SNF) for all regions surveyed in this study was $90,155. Meanwhile, the average daily rate for a single occupancy, private room in a Medicare-certified SNF was $247.

Also, the average monthly rate for a private, single occupancy room in an assisted living facility was $3,294.67 per month, while the average monthly rate for a semi-private room in an assisted living facility was $2,025.28 per month.

Among other findings are:

• The national average hourly rate for home health aides provided by a certified home health care agency was $22.14 per hour.

• The national average hourly rate for a home health aides provided by a non-certified home health care agency was $18.41 per hour.

• The region with the most expensive daily average rate for a private, single occupancy room in a Medicare-certified skilled nursing facility was Anchorage, AK, and costs $576 per day.

• The region with the least expensive daily average rate for a private, single occupancy room in a Medicare-certified skilled nursing facility was Lafayette, LA, and costs $143 per day.

• The region with the highest average hourly rate for home health aides provided by a certified home health care agency was Stamford, CT at $34.85 per hour.

• The region with the lowest average hourly rate for home health aides provided by a certified home healthcare agency was Shreveport, LA, with a cost of $14.50 per hour.

• The region with the highest average hourly rate for home health aides provided by a non-certified home health care was agency is San Francisco, at $24.70 per hour.

• The region with the lowest average hourly rate for home health aides provided by a non-certified home health care agency was Brooklyn, NY, with a cost of $11.90 per hour.