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

The COBRA quote for my family is $850 a month and I do not know how to afford it. I have read a lot of threads here and could not find my exact situation. 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.