The average rate for a private room in a Providence-area nursing home rose by 6.9 percent last year, from $231 to $247 per day, while average assisted-living rates rose by 4.6 percent, from $3,172 to $3,318 per month, a new national survey shows.
The 2008 MetLife Market Survey of Nursing Home & Assisted Living Costs, released last month, shows on a national level that nursing home costs held steady, with a 0.5-percent decline in private-room fees and a 1.1-percent rise in semiprivate room fees.
Assisted living costs increased modestly, by 2.1 percent, the survey shows.
Costs in Rhode Island continue to be higher than the national average. Nationally, the average fee for a private nursing room was $212 per day, or $68,985 per year, which in the Providence area would only buy 313 days’ worth of care.
The national average for assisted-living care is $3,031 per month or $36,372 per year.
On both fronts, costs vary dramatically from state to state. Alaska is the most expensive, with private rooms in nursing homes averaging $577 per day, while Louisiana is the cheapest, at $132 per day. Maine, meanwhile, has the most expensive assisted-living facilities, averaging $4,708 per month, while North Dakota has the cheapest rates, at $1,980 per month.
Massachusetts remains substantially pricier than Rhode Island and most of the nation, with private nursing home rooms averaging $302 per day, and assisted-living costs averaging $4,192 per month, the survey shows.
Nursing home care is most commonly paid for by Medicaid, which combines federal and state funds; Rhode Island has an application pending with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to implement major changes in how Medicaid funds are dispensed, and a key part of that plan is to reduce nursing home use and promote home- and community-based care.
Assisted living is usually paid for out of pocket or through long-term care insurance.
The annual MetLife survey is a widely used barometer of long-term care costs, and as it did last year, the new edition warns that many services that residents need are charged for separately.
The average surcharge at assisted living communities that charge separately for help with activities of daily living is $386, the survey found, and the average surcharge for assistance with instrumental activities of daily living, such as medication management, was $327.
Assisted living communities offering only basic services cost an average of $2,873, while those offering more extensive services cost an average of $2,985.
“Families are often faced with choices of assisted living communities in a local area, and must make comparisons and decisions which may have a significant financial impact on them,” said Sandra Timmermann, director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute, in a news release. “With this in mind, it is important to factor in any additional services needed in order to obtain an accurate picture of the full cost and quality of the community.” •
The complete survey can be downloaded at no charge at www.maturemarketinstitute.com.
