If you have insurance that covers long-term care, the results of the survey in this story may not affect you very much. But if you don’t, you may want to start comparing carriers.

Genworth Financial, a financial services provider, released the “2008 Cost of Care Survey,” its fifth annual study of prices for home care providers, adult day health care facilities, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes. The survey doesn’t have great news. As with most everything in life, the costs are going up—but in this case especially, they’re going up at a time when you’re least likely to afford it.

The survey noted the following national averages:

• Assisted living facility (private one-bedroom): $3,008/month
• Nursing home (semi-private room): $187/day
• Nursing home (private room): $209/day
• Homemaker services (non–Medicare certified): $18/hour
• Home health aide services (non–Medicare certified): $19/hour
• Home health aide services (Medicare certified): $38/hour
• Adult day health care: $59/day

The cost of care within facility-based providers has steadily increased, while costs for home care from nonskilled providers have remained relatively flat. In 2008, the average annual rate for a private nursing home room was $76,460, compared with $65,185 in 2004, a 17% increase. The average annual rate for assisted living (private one-bedroom) in 2008 was $36,090, a 25% increase from 2004, according to Retirement Weekly. In contrast, non-Medicare-certified home health aides earned $19/hour in 2008; in 2004, they earned $18/hour.

This was the first year the category of adult day health care (ADHC) was included. ADHC includes structured social, health, and other services that take place “in a protective setting.” They are intended to help enable individuals to live more independently in the community and may also be intended to provide some relief for family caregivers. Genworth noted that ADHC is becoming more available across the country.

In analyzing the reasons behind the high cost of care, Genworth wrote, “One key factor to note is that the U.S. is facing a critical long-term care labor shortage that will have significant implications on the quality and drastically increase the cost of care.” Considering the demands on the health care system that aging baby boomers will create, “It is imperative that . . . we recruit, cultivate, and retain a highly trained workforce.”

Genworth’s Web site has an interactive 2008 Cost of Care Map of the United States that lets you see, state-by-state, costs for nursing homes, assisted living, adult day health care, home health aides, and homemaker services. You can also find details about the cost of care closer to your city by visiting the Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program site.

Who pays for all this? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services notes that if you have sufficient income and assets, you are likely to pay for your long-term care needs out of those private resources. If you qualify and have limited financial resources, or are depleting them paying for care, Medicaid may pay for your care. If you require primarily skilled or recuperative care for a short time, Medicare may pay. The Older Americans Act is another federal program that helps pay for long-term care services. Some people use a variety of payment sources as their care needs and financial circumstances change. A chart at the department’s Web site gives an overview of who pays for what.

For more information on paying for long-term care, and for more about the survey, see the Source list below.