COBRA costs more than my rent, what did you do? - 8 months and counting

The COBRA quote for my family is $400 a month and I do not know how to afford it. This is my first time dealing with any of this. My spouse has a chronic condition, so dropping coverage feels risky. How did you decide?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 8 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.