COBRA costs more than my rent, what did you do? after 3 years as a barista

I was offered COBRA and the monthly cost is more than I expected as a barista. This is my first time dealing with any of this. My old employer will not help with the premium. Did anyone switch mid-year?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 5 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.