The 10 Best Nursing Homes in Bucks County, PA for 2024

In Bucks County, the average monthly cost for a semiprivate room in a nursing home is $12,471. The monthly estimate for a private room is $13,688.

At an estimated cost of $12,471 per month, Bucks County is the most expensive area for nursing home care in Western Pennsylvania. It’s also significantly higher than the state and national averages of $10,038 and $7,756, respectively. Reading has the next most expensive nursing care in the region at $11,724 per month, followed by East Stroudsburg at $11,323. The most populous city in the state, Philadelphia, averages $11,285. The most affordable area in the region is Scranton, where seniors can expect to pay about $9,985 per month.

Like most other areas of the country, families can expect nursing homes to be the most expensive type of senior care available. Those who only require daytime supervision can use adult day health care, which costs an average of $1,625 per month. Seniors at home can opt for homemaker services or a home health care aide for about $4,576 per month. Assisted living communities in Bucks County cost an average of $3,550.

Many seniors and their families use some form of financial assistance to help them pay for nursing care. The main options available are Medicare, Medicaid, and veterans benefits. These programs can be complicated, especially when it comes to benefit terms. Below, we give a brief overview of how these programs may be used towards paying for skilled nursing care.

• Medicare: Medicare will typically cover all skilled nursing costs for the first 20 days of one’s stay in a nursing home and a portion of the costs until day 100. After 100 days in a skilled nursing facility, Medicare will not cover any part of the cost of the stay. While this is adequate when short-term care is needed, those in need of long-term care will need to either pay out-of-pocket or use another source of financial assistance.
• Medicaid: Medicaid covers most of the costs of living in a skilled nursing facility for those who qualify. Care, room, and board are covered with no time limit, but residents may be charged for extras like specially prepared food or cosmetic services. Medicaid eligibility standards are strict and complex, so not all seniors are eligible for Medicaid benefits.
• Veterans Benefits: Veterans receiving a VA pension may also be eligible for the Aid and Attendance benefit administered by the VA. Aid and Attendance is a monthly allowance that beneficiaries may use to pay for their long-term care, including skilled nursing care.

If these options aren’t available to you, check if your loved one has long-term care insurance or contact your Area Agency on Aging to ask about any local financial assistance programs for seniors.