Kiplingers Personal Finance

14 KIPLINGER’S PERSONAL FINANCE^ 05/

AHEAD

LISE METZGER

WATER UTILITIES HAVE BEEN

hit by a one-two punch that

will likely affect your wal-

let, too. Revenues are down,

thanks to consumers’ con-

servation efforts. At the

same time, pipes need re-

placing, and systems are ex-

panding to meet growing

demand. “We’re playing

catch-up,” says Tracy Me-

han, director of government

affairs for the American

Water Works Association.

Water rates rose an aver-

age of 5% for U.S. consum-

I think they bear plenty of responsibility, which some

of them—and their professional associations—have been

reluctant to accept.

Ultimately, individuals are responsible for their own health and

what they put into their bodies. But when pain is strong and/or

chronic, there is a natural tendency for patients to ask for whatever

will ease it, and with this comes the risk of addiction to opioids.

That’s why physicians and dentists need mandatory pain-manage-

ment training, starting in medical and dental schools and continuing

thereafter. They should first prescribe the mildest, nonaddictive,

over-the-counter pain remedies. If they step their patients up to more-

powerful prescription drugs, they should be required to limit the initial

supply, counsel their patients and monitor them carefully for early

signs of addiction.

States must maintain well-funded, real-time prescription-drug

monitoring programs so that prescribers and pharmacists can spot

patients who get prescriptions from multiple physicians, dentists and

pharmacies, as well as see patterns of over-prescribing of painkillers

by medical professionals—either by negligence or for illegal resale

purposes (“pill mills”).

Manufacturers of prescription painkillers have to recognize that

some portion of the soaring sales and profits they have enjoyed are

coming from both overuse by legitimate patients and illegal black

markets. Some manufacturers are belatedly endorsing mandatory

physician training in pain management and even physician licensing by

the federal Drug Enforcement Administration for prescribing opioids.

Sadly, tougher training and prescribing standards for American

health care professionals are not enough. The addiction epidemic is

now being fed by supply chains that go far beyond U.S. drugmakers

and medical professionals. An internet mail-order market is flourish-

ing, and foreign supplies of generic opioids are flooding into our coun-

try. China has agreed to ban the export of more than 100 drugs, but

new sources are constantly arising. This epidemic must be fought on

many fronts.

ers in 30 major cities in

2016, tacking on an extra

$2 to $4 or more to monthly

water bills, depending on

usage. Since 2010, rates

have jumped 48%. Expect

more increases as utilities

try to close the revenue gap.

To raise money, some

utilities are reconfiguring

rate plans that charge a low

initial price for a specified

amount of water, with the

price scaling up as more

water is consumed. In Texas,

the Fort Worth Water De-

partment charges $2.12 per

100 cubic feet of water for

the first 600 cubic feet, but

the first tier used to cover

up to 800 cubic feet.

Other utilities are in-

creasing customers’ fixed

monthly charges or, in some

cases, adding new fees to

cover special projects. Bay

City, Mich., approved a new

$2 monthly fee to fund lead-

pipe removal. State and lo-

cal law determines whether

you’ll be notified of an in-

crease. Check your bill for a

breakdown of your current

rate, or go to your utility’s

website to find out if you’ll

pay more soon. RIVAN STINSON

FAMILY FINANCES

YOUR WATER BILL

IS HEADED HIGHER

Even though we’re using less H 2 0, the pipes

need fixing, so utilities are charging more.

Q

America is in the grip of a terrible epidemic: addiction to pain-relieving

prescription medicines. What responsibility do you think the manufac-

turers, distributors and prescribers of these drugs have in this crisis?

What should doctors and drugmakers

do to stop painkiller addiction?

HAVE A MONEY-AND-ETHICS QUESTION YOU’D LIKE ANSWERED IN THIS COLUMN? WRITE TO

EDITOR IN CHIEF KNIGHT KIPLINGER AT [email protected].

A

MONEY & ETHICS // KNIGHT KIPLINGER