Income and savings
Paying out of pocket from retirement income, savings, or the sale of assets. It preserves flexibility and puts the full cost on the household balance sheet.
Long-term care article
The 2025 cost of long-term care: what Wisconsin families should prepare for.
Most families first look at care costs during a stressful week, not a planning meeting. Looking earlier changes the conversation. The national medians below give a starting frame for what extended care can cost, what Medicare generally covers, and which funding approaches are worth understanding before a decision has to be made quickly.
By Sarah DePover, MBA · Published and updated August 17, 2026 · 9 minute read
2025 national medians
National median costs published by CareScout.
These are national medians from the 2025 CareScout Cost of Care Survey. They are not Wisconsin prices and are not quotes — use them as a frame of reference, not a budget.
| Type of care | National median rate (2025) | Annualized national median |
|---|---|---|
| Non-medical in-home caregiver | $35 per hour | $80,080 per year (based on 44 hours a week) |
| Adult day health care | $95 per day | $24,700 per year (based on 5 days a week) |
| Assisted living facility | $6,200 per month | $74,400 per year |
| Nursing home, semi-private room | $315 per day | $114,975 per year |
| Nursing home, private room | $355 per day | $129,575 per year |
Source: CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey results, published by Genworth.
Wisconsin context
Local pricing is its own question.
Costs in Milwaukee, Waukesha, and smaller Wisconsin communities vary by provider, by how much care a person actually needs, and by what is available when it is needed.
Provider to provider
Two facilities in the same county can price differently based on staffing, services, and room type.
Level of care
Hours of help at home, memory care needs, and skilled requirements all move the number.
Availability
Waiting lists and local capacity can shape which options are realistically on the table.
Rather than estimating a Wisconsin figure, it is more useful to call two or three providers in the area you would actually use and ask for current rates and what those rates include.
Medicare
What Medicare generally does and does not cover.
Custodial long-term care
Medicare generally does not pay for non-medical custodial care — help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, eating, and moving around — when that is the only care a person needs. This is the category most families mean when they say “long-term care.”
Skilled care
Skilled nursing facility care and skilled home health care are treated differently and can be covered, but that coverage is subject to eligibility requirements and limits. It is not a substitute for a long-term care plan.
Funding approaches
Five general ways families pay for extended care.
None of these is right for everyone. They are often combined, and each carries its own tradeoffs.
Family support
Unpaid caregiving by a spouse or adult children. It is common and meaningful, and it can affect a caregiver's own income, career, and health.
Medicaid, where applicable
A state-administered program with financial and functional eligibility rules. Whether and when it applies is a legal and eligibility question for an appropriate professional.
Traditional long-term care insurance
Coverage designed specifically for qualifying long-term care expenses, with premiums, medical underwriting, benefit periods, elimination periods, and policy limitations.
Hybrid life and long-term care approaches
Whole life insurance with a long-term care benefit rider. Described in more detail in the next section.
A combination
Many plans mix approaches — some coverage, some savings, and a clear agreement about family roles.
One option in detail
How hybrid life and long-term care insurance works.
Northwestern Mutual describes its hybrid approach as whole life insurance with a long-term care benefit rider. The base policy is life insurance; the rider allows benefits to be used toward qualifying long-term care expenses if they are needed. It is not a “three-in-one” product, and it is not a replacement for a broader plan.
A few things matter when reviewing whether it fits. Coverage requires medical underwriting, so health history is part of eligibility. Availability varies, and product features differ. Exclusions and limitations apply, and the benefits and policy values you would actually receive depend on the specific contract terms. Dividends, where applicable, are not guaranteed. Accessing policy values during life can reduce the death benefit and other benefits, and may create tax consequences worth reviewing with a tax professional.
Whether this approach makes sense depends on your health, budget, family situation, and what the rest of your plan already covers. A conversation is the way to find out — not a rule of thumb.
Reference: Northwestern Mutual — hybrid long-term care insurance.
Illustrative example
Putting the national medians into a household conversation.
Hypothetical illustration only — not a real family, not a quote, and not a recommendation
Imagine a Waukesha couple in their early sixties talking through what would happen if one of them needed daily help at home. Using the 2025 national median of $35 an hour as a placeholder, they sketch what part-time help might look like against their expected retirement income, then note the two questions they cannot answer themselves: what local providers actually charge, and how the cost would affect the surviving spouse’s income later.
They leave with a shorter list, not a decision. That is usually the right outcome for a first conversation.
Family Protection & Long-Term Care Conversation Checklist
Bring structure to the conversation at home.
Request the checklist and it opens right here on this page — nothing is emailed and there is no attachment.
Related planning
Care costs connect to retirement income, protection, and how a household would absorb a long absence from work.
Questions people ask
Long-term care cost questions.
Sources
Where these figures and rules come from.
- CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey results (Genworth)
- Medicare.gov — Long-term care coverage
- Northwestern Mutual — Hybrid long-term care insurance
This article is educational and general in nature. It does not provide individualized financial, tax, or legal advice, and it is not a recommendation of any product or strategy. Insurance products are subject to underwriting, exclusions, limitations, and contract terms; availability varies. Medicaid eligibility questions should be reviewed with an appropriate professional. Contact Sarah with questions.
Plan before it is urgent