COBRA costs more than my rent, what did you do?

I was offered COBRA and the monthly cost is more than I expected as an insurance claims processor. There are 13 people counting on me, so I am trying to be careful. My spouse has a chronic condition, so dropping coverage feels risky. Is the decision time really that tight?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.