COBRA costs more than my rent, what did you do? after 9 years as a procurement assistant

I just got my COBRA paperwork and the deadline to decide is close. It has been a long 11 weeks. My spouse has a chronic condition, so dropping coverage feels risky. Is the decision time really that tight?

A quick call to the plan's member line cleared up two things for us that the letter did not.

I priced both side by side: total yearly cost, doctors in network and the deductible. Marketplace was cheaper for us, but only because our doctors were covered.