Study says Honolulu long-term care costly
By Dan Nakaso
Advertiser Staff Writer
Honolulu is among 10 metropolitan areas with the highest private nursing home costs, according to a study released last week, but efforts have stalled in the Legislature that would give patients some hope for long-term care.
Nationwide, patients pay an average of $168 per day for a private room in a nursing home, according to the study by the MetLife Mature Market Institute. Honolulu's rate runs at $220 per day, putting it in the top tier of metropolitan areas, led by Anchorage, Alaska with $331.
Honolulu's $19 hourly average cost for home healthcare aides also places it just above the $18 national average.
But Greg Marchildon, AARP Hawaii state director, said he is surprised that Hawai'i's costs didn't come out higher in the study.
"We're seeing an explosion in long-term healthcare costs," he said.
Marilyn Seely, director of the state Executive Office on Aging, heard testimony this legislative session from people who said their costs are nearly twice the $220 average reported by MetLife.
"Long-term care is expensive," she said. "There's just no way around it."
Proposals in the Legislature would have levied a $10 per month tax on working people age 25 to 98. In return, they would be eligible for $70 a day in cash benefits for a year's worth of long-term care.
"People said $70 isn't a lot of money," Seely said. "But the difference between zero and $70 is quite significant for families. It allows them to get basic services and provide care at home."
Instead, a House-Senate conference committee will meet to discuss whether to create a board of trustees to come up with recommendations for next session.
"We were deeply disappointed in the treatment that the issue of long-term care got in the Legislature," Marchildon said. "This is a crisis situation that was turned into a political football."
Hawai'i's 44 licensed and certified nursing facilities, representing 3,800 beds, are also trying to figure out ways to reduce costs, said Bob Ogawa, president of the Hawaii Long Term Care Association.
"Quite frankly, the industry as a whole nationally is in very dire straits," Ogawa said.
Liability insurance for some Hawai'i nursing homes has doubled or quadrupled, he said. And some have tried to merge their spending power to buy food and supplies at bulk rates.
"Our people have been trying all kinds of ways to lower the costs," Ogawa said. "We are trying our best, but there are a lot of costs that are beyond our control."
The issue of long-term care is particularly critical for Hawai'i.
The 78.5-year life expectancy is among the nation's highest. And the number of people 85 and older is growing faster here than almost anywhere else.
But the ratio of nursing home beds to patients — 24 beds per 1,000 people 65 and older — is among the lowest in the country, Seely said.
"We have more growth but have fewer beds," she said.
Beyond the statistics, she said, the people of Hawai'i have a long tradition of taking care of their elderly and working two or three jobs to pay the costs.
"This is something I hear every day," Seely said. "It is causing problems in the workplace when people have to worry about a loved one at home."
Seely went through a similar experience last year when her 84-year-old father, Dale Thompson, fell ill in Oklahoma.
He came home from the hospital but could not feed or even raise himself from his bed. Seely's husband, John, helped her 82-year-old mother, Virginia Thompson, cobble together a network of homecare providers to lift and bathe Dale Thompson.
But her parents' income placed them just beyond the level that would have made them eligible for Medicaid benefits to cover their costs.
"It was quite an arduous experience," Seely said. "It's just a horrendous undertaking. There was no money available."
After six weeks, Seely's father contracted pneumonia and died.
"It's sad," Seely said. "But it's so common."
Reach Dan Nakaso at 525-8085 or dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com.
