Best and Worst Places for Assisted Living

Best Eldercare and Nursing Home Facilities : Best and Worst Places for Assisted Living

Where you live can have a huge impact on the costs of assisted living or nursing care, should you or  a loved one need it.  A recent article by WSJ MarketWatch, "Best (and Worst) States to Grow Old", pointed out that the cost of a semi-private room in an Alaskan nursing home($222,000 ) is 5 times as much as it is in Texas ($46,000). Home health care cost disparities are similar, with Alaska leading the way at $59,000 and southern states like Alabama ($34,000) being much better bargains. The average social security distribution is $14,000 per year, which gives an indication of the problem.

The MarketWatch article contains some interesting information about longevity and long term health care insurance.  It also provides a list of the highest and lowest cost states for nursing homes, assisted living, and home health care.

The cheapest states for these services tend to be:

Alabama

Mississippi

Louisiana

And the most expensive are:
 

Alaska

Hawaii

Minnesota

Massachusetts