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

The COBRA quote for my family is $650 a month and I do not know how to afford it. This is my first time dealing with any of this. I saw that marketplace plans might cost less. Is the decision time really that tight?

Check what the notice says about the election period and when coverage starts. Mine allowed a short window to choose.

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