Home Care Costs Rising in Kansas and Missouri

With an increase in needs, higher wage demands, and a number of other factors, the cost of long-term care, at least in Kansas and Missouri, has increased. During the past year, the cost of long-term care in Kansas and Missouri has climbed 5 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively. That trend is only expected to continue as more men and women reach retirement age and begin placing greater demands on these services.

As Genworth’s U.S. Life Division CEO David O’Leary stated, “Although home health care is far less expensive than care in a facility, in Missouri, home health care costs can add up to as much as $48,048 per year. Government programs may not cover all of these costs, if any, which is why it’s so important for people to plan ahead for how they will pay for these costs.” This was from a release put forth.

“In Missouri, the median cost of a home health aide is $4,004 a month, or $48,048 a year, and adult day health care services costs $1,733 a month, or $20,800 a year, according to Genworth’s annual Cost of Care Survey. In Kansas, a home health aide costs $4,004 a month, and adult day health care services cost $1,625 a month, or $19.500 a year.

The cost of nursing homes and assisted living is significantly higher. In Missouri, assisted living cost $2,700 a month, and in Kansas, it cost $4,250 a month, or $51,000 a year. The monthly cost of a private nursing home room was $5,475 a month, or $65,700 a year, in Missouri, and a private room in Kansas cost $6,167 a month, or $74,004 a year.”

There are numerous factors that contribute to increased costs, not the least of which involves demand. As more people prefer to remain home, there will be greater demand and subsequently higher costs. There have also been strong pushes to raise wages and with the Department of Labor now providing the same overtime and wage protections to home care workers as other laborers across the country, it has placed more pressure on the industry.

However, reimbursement rates from the federal level have been cut in recent years, meaning there may be limits to how often a person might be eligible to receive these services and more agencies are turning to technology and other methods to reduce their expenses to help keep costs down.

As home care costs rise in Kansas and Missouri, it’s most likely only a small representation of the challenges many aging and disabled men and women will face across the country in the years ahead.