Pennsylvania
There is a minimal gap between the number of male and female Pennsylvania residents. Based on 2012 data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, men comprised 49% of state citizens while 51% were women. Older adults 65 years of age and above accounted for 15% of the total population. About 11% of those seniors experienced impoverishment, which can affect health and well-being.
Pennsylvania’s average life expectancy is 81 years for women and 76 years for men. Statistics show that 13.4% of the state’s residents reported having a disability in 2012. In the same year, doctors told more than 10% of adults that they had diabetes. Moreover, nearly 500 out of 100,000 individuals in Pennsylvania were affected by cancer in 2009.
In 2012, Pennsylvania had 710 operational nursing facilities with a 91% occupancy rate. The state merged assisted living and personal care settings into a single category until 2011. In January of that year, the Pennsylvania Office of Long Term Living began to differentiate Assisted Living Residences.
Cost of Care
Below are the average daily cost* of long term care services in Pennsylvania.
| City | Nursing Facility1 | Assisted Living1 | Adult Day Care2 | Home Health Aide3 |
| Harrisburg | $266 | $110 | $54 | $108 |
| Philadelphia | $294 | $106 | $70 | $120 |
| Pittsburgh | $301 | $115 | $58 | $126 |
| York | $321 | $125 | $60 | $114 |
Notes:
*Costs are rounded to the nearest whole dollar.
1Daily average for a private room.
2Based on five days of care per week.
3Based on six hours of care per day, five days per week.
Insurance Options
Pennsylvania’s LTCI market also saw revisions in the spousal and preferred health discounts in FlexCare, a long term care insurance product by MedAmerica. The insurance carrier applied these revisions on October 28, 2013.
Mutual of Omaha’s insurance policy for long term care, called MutualCare Solutions, achieved Long Term Care Insurance Partnership status in Pennsylvania on October 21, 2013. State residents may choose MutualCare® Solutions’ 3% to 5% Compound Lifetime and Compound Lifetime Buy-up options.
People who look for LTC coverage can buy Partnership policies from American General Life, Assurity Life, Genworth, Massachusetts Mutual, and Transamerica. Other insurers that offer LTCI policies include AIG Life, Allianz, Great American Life, John Hancock, Northwestern, Physician’s Mutual, State Farm, and Unum Life.
State Long Term Care Programs
The Pennsylvania state government can help citizens who depend on skilled nursing care and medications through Medicare. Medicare Part B pays for medical services while Part D covers prescribed drugs. Care dependents, like some senior adults, can benefit from Medigap plans where traditional Medicare cannot support them.
In 2015, Pennsylvania pushed towards the Medicaid expansion. Currently, the new administration is finding ways on how to transition individuals who are covered under Healthy PA into the new plan. Authorities say that Healthy PA coverage will remain unaffected for the time being and any changes will be communicated once they come up with a more comprehensive adult package.
Seniors who need LTC can get support through APPRISE, a free counseling program by Pennsylvania’s Department of Aging. This counseling program can help them to learn more about Medicare, Medicaid, and other topics related to long term care insurance. Around 600 Pennsylvania residents volunteer for APPRISE after receiving training.
More Resources
To get more specific information regarding long term care services and insurance options in Pennsylvania, please check the following websites:
Offers reliable resources about LTC services and caregiving and helps with LTC planning.
Pennsylvania Department of Aging
Provides links and other resources about senior living, such as area-based services.
Provides information about insurance coverage for people who necessitate LTC.
Compare Plan Options in Pennsylvania
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