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 bank teller. I would rather hear the honest version than the polite one. My spouse has a chronic condition, so dropping coverage feels risky. Did anyone switch mid-year?

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

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 12 months ago, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.