The cost of home health aide services varies across the country, and several states have much higher median annual costs than the national median of about $45,000, according to Genworth’s 2014 Cost of Care Survey.
Long-term care costs are expensive across the board, with private and semi-private skilled nursing rooms typically costing the most on an annual basis versus adult day health care centers on the lower end of the scale.
The national annual median cost for people using home health aide services in the U.S. is $45,188, according to Genworth, more than the annual median for assisted living, at $42,000, and homemaker services, at $43,472.
Most Expensive States for Home Health Aide Services
- Minnesota—$58,916
- Hawaii—$57,772
- North Dakota—$57,589
- Massachusetts—$57,200
- Alaska—$56,125
- New Hampshire—$56,056
- Rhode Island—$54,912
- Vermont—$53,768
- Washington, Delaware, California (tied)—$52,624
- Nebraska—$51,480
On the other end of the spectrum, Louisiana’s annual median cost is an outlier at $34,320, with Alabama as the next cheapest at $36,608.
Still, median costs for a private room in a skilled nursing facility are typically much steeper, ranging from $57,000 a year on the low end in Oklahoma to $130,670 in New York (and nearly $5,000 more in Hawaii, topped by $240,900 in Alaska).
Check out the Genworth 2014 Cost of Care Survey, including the state-by-state cost breakdowns for the various long-term care options.
Written by Alyssa Gerace