UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K/A

(Amendment No. 1)

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010
Commission File No. 1-8923

HEALTH CARE REIT, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware		34-1096634
(State or other jurisdiction of		(I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)		Identification No.)
4500 Dorr Street, Toledo, Ohio		43615
(Address of principal executive office)		(Zip Code)

(419) 247-2800
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of Each Class		Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered
Common Stock, $1.00 par value		New York Stock Exchange
7.875% Series D Cumulative		New York Stock Exchange
Redeemable Preferred Stock, $1.00 par value
7.625% Series F Cumulative		New York Stock Exchange
Redeemable Preferred Stock, $1.00 par value
6.50% Series I Cumulative		New York Stock Exchange
Convertible Perpetual Preferred Stock, $1.00 par value

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes þ No o

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes o No þ

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to the filing requirements for at least the past 90 days. Yes þ No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes þ No o

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment of this Form 10-K. þ

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer þ		Accelerated filer o		Non-accelerated filer o		Smaller reporting company o
				(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No þ

The aggregate market value of the shares of voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, computed by reference to the closing sales price of such shares on the New York Stock Exchange as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter was $5,204,141,431.

As of January 31, 2011, the registrant had 147,381,372 shares of common stock outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for the annual stockholders’ meeting to be held May 5, 2011, are incorporated by reference into Part III.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

     This Amendment No. 1 to Health Care REIT, Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 25, 2011 (the “Original Filing”), is being filed solely to include eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) information in Exhibit 101 that was excluded from the timely filed Original Filing, as provided for under Rule 405 of Regulation S-T. This Amendment No. 1 does not reflect events or transactions occurring after the date of the Original Filing or modify or update those disclosures that may have been affected by events or transactions occurring subsequent to such filing date (except as provided on the cover page of this Amendment No. 1).

     Exhibit 101 provides the following items formatted in XBRL: (i) Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2010 and 2009; (ii) Consolidated Statements of Income for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008; (iii) Consolidated Statements of Equity for the years ended December, 2010, 2009 and 2008; (iv) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008; (v) Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements; (vi) Schedule III — Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation; and (vii) Schedule IV — Mortgage Loans on Real Estate.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

EXHIBIT INDEX

101.INS		XBRL Instance Document*
101.SCH		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document*
101.CAL		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document*
101.LAB		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document*
101.PRE		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document*
101.DEF		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document*