Connecticut Annual Nursing Facility Census
September 30, 2021
About this Report
This fact sheet provides the 18th year of data from the Connecticut Annual Nursing Facility Census. From
1997 until 2003, the State of Connecticut Nursing Facility Registry provided a longitudinal database of
demographic and health data for all Connecticut nursing facility residents. Beginning in 2004, this registry
was modified and renamed. The Connecticut Annual Nursing Facility Census provides aggregate information
on the status of nursing facilities and their residents on September 30th of each year. This report is produced by the Health and Human Services Policy and Planning Division, Connecticut State Office of Policy and Management.
Cost of Care
As
of September 30, 2021, it costs a private pay nursing facility resident an
average of $462 per day for a semi-private nursing facility bed, or over $168,000
for the entire year. This represents a
rise in cost of 1.4 percent from the previous year average rate of $456 per
day. The average annual percentage change
over the last five years has been 2.2 percent for private pay rates.
Occupancy
Occupancy
rates have remained very consistent over the last several years. However, after
a sharp decrease in occupancy from 2019-2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the
average nursing facility occupancy rate in Connecticut was 78 percent as of
September 30, 2021. This represents a
slight increase from the 2020 occupancy rate of 74%. Regionally, these rates vary, ranging from an
occupancy rate of 83 percent in Litchfield County to 74 percent in Middlesex
County.
Between
2020 and 2021, there were continued decreases in the county occupancy rates in
Middlesex (-0.6%), New London (-1.5%) and Windham (-3.0%) counties. The
remaining counties all had increases in their occupancy rates: Fairfield
(7.8%), Hartford (3.4%), Litchfield (7.0%), New Haven (4.6%) and Tolland (3.7%).
Nursing Facilities
A
total of 205 licensed nursing facilities were operating in Connecticut on
September 30, 2021, six less than in 2020.
With regards to nursing facility beds, the total number has declined by
18 percent (5,357) between September 30, 2004 and 2021, decreasing from 29,801
to 24,444 beds.
In
Connecticut, nursing facilities are licensed at two levels of care: Chronic and Convalescent Nursing Homes
(CCNH), also known as Skilled Nursing Facilities, and Rest Homes with Nursing
Supervision (RHNS), also called Intermediate Care Facilities.
As
of September 30, 2021, there were 23,812 CCNH beds and 632 RHNS beds, for a
total of 24,444. Over time, nursing
facilities have been either phasing out RHNS beds or converting them to CCNH
beds. Between 2004 and 2021, the number of RHNS beds decreased from 1,547 to 632,
or 59 percent.
The
number of facilities with non-profit status decreased from 63 in 2004 to 40 in
2021 and the number of facilities with for-profit status decreased from 183 to 165.
Of
the 205 nursing facilities in Connecticut in 2021, 188 had a CCNH license, 16
had both a CCNH and RHNS license, and one facility provided care under an RHNS
license only.
Resident Demographics
On
September 30, 2021, there were 19,078 individuals residing in Connecticut
nursing facilities. This represents 676 more residents than on the same date in
2020 and 8,718 fewer than in 2004.
In
2021, the majority of residents were white (79%), female (63%), and without a
spouse (81%). This profile has remained
consistent over the years. With regards to age, 16 percent were under 65 years
of age, 46 percent were between 65 and 84, and 38 percent were age 85 or older.
Since
2004, the percentage of younger nursing facility residents under age 55
decreased by 39% (565), the percentage of residents age 55 to 74 increased by 28%
(1350), and the number of residents age 75 and older decreased by 44% (9,551).
Payment Source
Medicaid
remained the dominant source of payment for nursing facility stays in
Connecticut in 2021, covering 72 percent of the residents. Medicare covered the
next largest segment of residents (15%), followed by residents who pay
privately out-of-pocket (9%). Forty-five percent of nursing facility residents
with long-term care insurance were covered by Connecticut Partnership for
Long-Term Care policies.