Some long-term care costs high in CT, but not all
The latest survey of long term services and supports care costs found Connecticut prices for residential care are among the highest in the US. But in-home care is surprisingly reasonable, close to the US average.
Last August, annual costs for Connecticut assisted living and semi-private rooms nursing home rooms were the 5th and 2nd highest among states, respectively. The median private one-bedroom assisted living annual stay cost $75,600. That is up 2.5% from the year before and 47% higher than the US median. The median nursing home annual stay cost in Connecticut was $155,125 last year, up 1.1% from 2019 and 67% above the US median. While the survey was fielded during the pandemic, Connecticut has historically been very expensive for residential long-term care. Researchers have found little connection between nursing home costs and either a state’s cost of living or quality of care.
Note: Alaska’s median nursing home price, at $448,950 last year, was truncated in the chart to allow comparison of other states. Alaska’s nursing home costs are extremely high for reasons unique to the state.
However, costs for home-based services in Connecticut were far closer to the US average in 2020. Median annual costs for homemaker and home health aide care were $54,912 and $57,200 respectively. Both were close to the US medians of $53,768 and $54,912, respectively.
In good news, growth in Connecticut’s long term care costs have trailed the US average over the last five years. Nursing home care growth has been well below the national level.
There is little variation between regions of Connecticut in median long term care costs. The Bridgeport area is somewhat higher than other parts of the state across services.
