COBRA quote is huge, any alternatives? - 11 months and counting

I was offered COBRA and the monthly cost is more than I expected as a production planner. It has been a long 21 weeks. My spouse has a chronic condition, so dropping coverage feels risky. How did you decide?

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

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.