COBRA quote is huge, any alternatives? - 2 weeks in

I was offered COBRA and the monthly cost is more than I expected as a forklift operator. There are 11 people counting on me, so I am trying to be careful. My spouse has a chronic condition, so dropping coverage feels risky. Is the decision time really that tight?

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.

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