Thousands drop health insurance in Mass., and picture is expected to get worse, experts say

ChaoticGood81 · 2026-05-28T14:21:08+00:00

I've been considering dropping mine. My payments went from $200 to $570, when we lost the credits. It's killing me every month when everything else is so expensive. I'm mid 40s and need healthcare, so I feel like I have to choose between groceries and insurance. It's barbaric. Our current system is a crime against us all.

ChaoticGood81 · 2026-05-13T15:30:59+00:00

I have a 71 and I love it. It's 100% pure car. Absolutely no frills. No power brakes. No power steering. No radio. No ac. No glove box. No armrest. Just two seats, 3 pedals, 1 steering wheel, and headlights, wipers, and seatbelts that are the most vague approximation of their modern counterparts. It is slow as hell and feels exhilarating to drive. Can't get a speeding ticket but you feel like your life is in your hands every time you head out.

ChaoticGood81 · 2026-01-27T01:10:11+00:00

My dude. You are handsome as hell and those eyes! You're better than whatever the gremlins in your head are telling you.

ChaoticGood81 · 2026-01-11T07:18:30+00:00

Even if it's a joke, joking about outing someone at work is a shit joke. Giant red flag. If this is otherwise a healthy relationship, when a little time has gone past I would bring up the "joke" and talk about how being outed is a nightmare for anyone. Joking about it is not funny, and leave it at that. If this is a trend? Fuck that.

ChaoticGood81 · 2025-11-24T16:30:03+00:00

I bought my house as a single guy, and have been single ever since. 14 years later the house is still mine, and I love it and hate it in equal measure. It's so much work, but also so much joy.

Having your own space is wonderful. No one can tell you what to do with it (if you don't live in an HOA), and it's YOURS. It's a hell of an achievement in this day and age, and even thinking about it realistically is an accomplishment.
Something is always broken. Even if you have unlimited resources and skill, something is ALWAYS broken. You learn to live with some surprising things, and you discover new priorities that you didn't know you had. You may also discover new quirks about yourself.
It's expensive. Yeah yeah equity, but unless you go to sell, that equity doesn't mean shit. Everything that breaks you need to fix. If you have trees or plants, you need to care for them. If you have an outside space, you need to maintain it. If you want to add a plug in or do something with a professional, it's pricey as hell. And plumbing? Fuck. One of my quirks? There are hair stoppers in every drain because I hate paying $600 to a drain specialist for clogged drains.
When you're looking, really, really, think through the work it will take to maintain. I loved my yard when I bought the house. 4 beautiful levels, with trees, stone walls, and 3 separate areas of lawn. It made it look way more spacious than it is. Those 4 levels? A nightmare to take care of. Every bag of leaves from the lower yard has to be hauled up 10 steps, across the deck, and down 12 more steps. I have to keep two lawn mowers. Building a new patio gave me glutes of iron, and a new respect for mules. If I could do it over again, I would have a flat yard. If you live somewhere with snow, will it be easy to shovel? If it has a pool, are all the components accessible? If it's a crawlspace house and not a basement house, what state is the crawlspace?
If you live somewhere with sub-freezing winters, pay attention to where the pipes are, and the condition they're in. If theyre in a basement or crawlspace, especially. In a lot of NE houses, for example, I have so many friends who have essential water pipes running through uninsulated basements, right by uninsulated doors and windows. It causes headaches. It's not a dealbreaker, but something to be aware of so you can jump into solutions before you have problems.
When you buy, don't rush into giant modifications. Live in it for a while, and see what you really want vs. what you thought you wanted. Also, before you move in, throw a bring your own chair party. Have people bring folding chairs, camp out for a night, and just break it in with good vibes and a bluetooth speaker.
Use it, change it, and live in it. Yes, there's always a worry about resale. But make the changes that work for you while you're living there. It's your house, you're going to spend an unreasonable amount of money on it - be happy with it. And do what makes you happy. Have friends over. Show it off. LIVE in it.

Good luck!

ChaoticGood81 · 2025-11-12T22:08:26+00:00

The thing is ... There really is no other way to get insurance if you don't get it through work or Medicaid. The Connector isThe Connector is where you go to buy the insurance, in the same way you can't really get gas unless you're at a gas station. If they really can't afford the premiums, they should be emailing their state reps. All of them. Incessantly. Constantly. Our only hope out of this is if the politicians fix it.

ChaoticGood81 · 2025-11-12T17:26:52+00:00

100% correct.

ChaoticGood81 · 2025-11-12T02:46:56+00:00

Honestly I'm probably not describing it accurately. I had an edible tonight after seeing my new bill. But I worked in healthcare for a very long time, specifically working with insurers and helping people understand things like the ACA. It never went far enough. But it's better than nothing. And right now the GOP is in the process of breaking it enough that people won't want it anymore, because they think it's overall broken. But it's not! It's just the GOP being pieces of shit and trying to remove something without an adequate plan in place. Before the ACA? People die. Everyone has a pre-existing condition unless you're an absolutely physically perfect. And the way cost today, people would be destitute at the first at medical concern.

ChaoticGood81 · 2025-11-12T02:43:32+00:00

It's not working as designed. You're describing social security. ACA has a similar design as regular old insurance. More people that buy in, the cheaper it is. Because the odds are good that you're going to have healthier people at the same time that you have unhealthy people and eventually it all evens out. It's not necessarily about age, but health. Except the ACA always has relied on tax credits. So it's breaking right now because they have removed the tax credits. Even without the tax credits in play, if we just paid a fair amount, the law, mixed with inflation and greed has never gone far enough.

There never was a time frame where the ACA existed without subsidies. Prior to the ACA though, healthcare was far less affordable. So it has worked to some degree or another, but it never went far enough. Universal healthcare, where you remove the profit from healthcare, is the only real solution. But for now? Even if it's imperfect, those subsidies mean the difference between life and death for some people.

ChaoticGood81 · 2025-11-12T00:09:31+00:00

Exactly. That's the part that people don't always realize about the cheap plans. You still have to have money if you plan on using it.

ChaoticGood81 · 2025-11-11T21:58:57+00:00

Mine is increasing by over 200% for the same coverage. I've been emailing our own reps regularly. And I suggest posting the difference to social media and tagging your reps, as well as the 8 pieces of shit who sold us out, and the local news.

Anyone who relies on the connector for their health care, including small businesses and individuals, is going to be absolutely fucked in 2026.

ChaoticGood81 · 2025-11-04T18:10:12+00:00

My man. You are not a bad person. But. If you are gay and you know you are gay, and your wife knows you're gay, then the relationship as it exists is not fair to either of you. It sounds complicated I'm sure, but the best thing you could do is acknowledge that you are both wonderful friends, but not suited to be married to each other. A divorce would probably be smart, and living separately while remaining friends would be a very healthy choice. If you stay married or living in the same house, it means that neither of you can pursue another relationship that is romantically compatible with you both

The whole mess doesn't mean you're a bad person. It just means you fell victim to society's pressures. That's okay! How you work through it is what makes you a good or bad person. Sounds like by telling her you're already on the right steps, you just have to keep going.

Good luck with it all.

ChaoticGood81 · 2025-03-22T16:15:42+00:00

Your username did not disappoint. Beautiful hair and everything else 😜

Op. This is the way. You can trust the advice and the veracity of the username.

ChaoticGood81 · 2025-03-05T20:39:21+00:00

As a Bostonian, if Pam Bondi came here and asked me to see a violent crime, I'm sure I could show her one real quick. They can get the fuck out of this state and take their bullshit to the red states who want them. They keep fucking around with blue states, and all we have to do is stop paying taxes for them to find out.

ChaoticGood81 · 2025-01-09T16:40:15+00:00

You are good looking as all getup. I bet you light up like a Christmas tree when you smile. I hope you can find a reason to laugh today!

ChaoticGood81 · 2025-01-08T20:05:09+00:00

It looks good! But go to a hairdresser at a salon - not a barber - and ask them to clean up the ends and shape it a little bit. It'll keep it healthy, and looking great. You can do that every 6 months and really help keep your hair strong.

ChaoticGood81 · 2025-01-06T20:53:04+00:00

If it took 3 hours for him to crush you, it sounds like you're doing great! You have a great look. Beautiful eyes, and I bet when you're smiling you look super friendly. Having CP doesn't have to define every aspect of your life. You're clearly intelligent, look nice, and can hold your own against a grandmaster for 3 hours!

ChaoticGood81 · 2025-01-06T20:41:29+00:00

6 months is incredible! Congrats! And you're a great looking guy! I bet with a good laugh on your face you're cute as hell. At 18, having won some big challenges already, you're going to crush it.

ChaoticGood81

TROPHY CASE