Growth in Texas Long Term Care Costs Outpacing the Rate of Inflation, According to Annual Genworth Finan...( Study Gives Texans Access to Nursing ...),Health

Study Gives Texans Access to Nursing Home, Assisted Living, Home Care and Adult Day Health Care Costs in Nearly Every Zip Code Statewide

RICHMOND, Va., April 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The cost of long term care in Texas is rising at a rate outpacing inflation, putting significant financial pressure on those in or near retirement, according to an annual study by Genworth Financial. At the same time, the current economic downturn has led to a decline in home values and investment returns for many residents of Texas, creating significant financial planning challenges for many in the state.

Nationwide, the annual cost for a private nursing home room is $74,208, or $203 per day, representing an increase of 4 percent annually since 2005. This represents a rate of growth nearly twice that of the median annual inflation rate of 2.3 percent over the same period of time -- measured using the Core CPI (which excludes food and fuel) reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the four largest cities in Texas surveyed, this cost has risen 7 percent annually over the past five years in Austin and 5 percent a year in San Antonio, while the cost has risen 1 percent annually in Dallas during the same period of time. Since 2005, this cost had decreased by 2 percent a year in Houston.

Since 2004, Genworth has surveyed the cost of long term care across the U.S. to provide Americans with a clear understanding of the cost of care in their part of the country. With this knowledge, individuals and families can begin to prudently plan for these potential costs. The most comprehensive study of its kind, Genworth's 2009 Cost of Care Survey, conducted by CareScout(R), covers more than 14,000 nu
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