The outlay for long-term care services increased an average of 4.5% from 2016 to 2017.  That’s more than double the 1.7% U.S. inflation rate.

The primary culprit was increased labor costs due to a shortage of caregivers.  For example home health aids charged an average of $21.50/hr – an increase of 6.17% year-over-year.

The 2017 Cost of Care Survey by Genworth Financial (one of the nation’s largest providers of insurance to defray the costs of LTC) summarizes the national median costs for the various types of care settings (e.g. in-home, assisted living, etc.)