Because a number of continuing-care facilities have affiliations with hospitals, medical care is usually a big part of the overall service mix. Fees can be refundable, non-refundable, or something in between. The fees can guarantee you a lifetime or specified amount of care. You'll have to take a close look at the fees for a community you are considering to figure whether the arrangement works for you. Remember, we're only talking here about the entry fee.
All places have a regular monthly fee as well.
But there is a connection. The initial fee is meant to help keep down the costs of the monthly assessment, developers say. Life-care communities were often run by a church. An elderly person would give all of his or her money to the community in exchange for a promise to receive care for life. Probably the biggest change with fees relates to their refundability.