Survey: Nursing Home Costs Rising Across U.S., California

Although nursing home and assisted living costs increased significantly across the country last year, certain regions of California saw costs increase by nearly twice as much as national averages, according to a new market survey by MetLife. Over the last year, national average rates for private nursing home rooms rose by 4.6% and national average rates for private rooms in assisted living centers rose by 5.2%. In California -- excluding Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco -- average rates for private nursing home rooms rose by 8% and average rates for private rooms in assisted living centers rose by nearly 15%, according to the survey.

• "Rise in Sacramento Nursing Home Costs Double U.S. Average" (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 10/26).