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

I was offered COBRA and the monthly cost is more than I expected as a barista. I would rather hear the honest version than the polite one. My old employer will not help with the premium. Is the decision time really that tight?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 7 months ago, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.