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Water Woes, Power Bills and a Medicaid Cliff · 787daily — Puerto Rico Every Morning

• 0:00
  Good morning!
• 0:00
  This is 787daily, your Puerto Rico briefing for Tuesday, October 27.
• 0:05
  Let's start with the thing you turn on first thing in the morning: the tap.
• 0:09
  A broken pipe has left Fajardo, Ceiba and parts of Luquillo without water.
• 0:13
  The Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority, the AAA, began repair work Monday night, October 26.
• 0:18
  If you live in that corner of the island, hang in there.
• 0:22
  Crews are on it.
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  Water is also the story out west, or rather the lack of rain.
• 0:28
  The La Plata reservoir has dropped about 1.95 meters in 30 days, and it's falling 10 to 12 centimeters every single day.
• 0:35
  National Weather Service meteorologist Ernesto Rodríguez says there's a rainfall deficit of five to eight inches over the past two months.
• 0:42
  Still, the Puerto Rico government has ruled out water rationing for La Plata, for now.
• 0:47
  Now, a different kind of pressure on your household: the electricity bill.
• 0:50
  The Senate's PPD caucus has an idea for easing the hike.
• 0:54
  Senate Project 1,599 would amend the Emergency Fund Law so its $131.65 million could cover quarterly fuel adjustments.
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  Alongside it, Concurrent Resolution 22 urges Governor Jenniffer González to amend the energy emergency executive orders declared since March 2021.
• 1:08
  And if your bill has made you squint at your meter, you're not alone.
• 1:13
  The Puerto Rico P3 Authority, the AAPP, sent LUMA a letter on October 24 ordering an investigation into smart meters and the complaints about higher power bills.
• 1:21
  LUMA has five calendar days to deliver a certified written report.
• 1:25
  The power sector is also the subject of a House inquiry.
• 1:28
  The House committee chair says he will refer Josué Colón and Juan González Galarza over the power expectations contract.
• 1:34
  The committee's first report covers three public hearings and more than a gigabyte of documents.
• 1:39
  It goes to the full House for approval next week.
• 1:42
  Now a clean turn, to health care and a date worth circling: October 2027.
• 1:47
  Health officials are warning of a "Medicaid cliff" and urging Congress to act before then.
• 1:52
  Puerto Rico is seeking a 4.815 billion dollar Medicaid allocation for federal fiscal year 2028.
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  This year's is 4.2 billion.
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  Under the permanent statute, the maximum would be only about $500 million.
• 2:04
  That gap is exactly why officials are sounding the alarm now, a year ahead of the deadline.
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  That's your 787daily for today.
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  You can read every story in full at 787daily.com.
• 2:17
  Thanks for starting your day with us.
• 2:19
  And before you go, your Puerto Rico fun fact for today: Mofongo, made from mashed fried green plantains, is Puerto Rico's signature comfort food.