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

I was offered COBRA and the monthly cost is more than I expected as a quality inspector. I have been trying to stay organised about it. I saw that marketplace plans might cost less. 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.