COBRA quote is huge, any alternatives? - 5 months and counting

The COBRA quote for my family is $550 a month and I do not know how to afford it. It has been weighing on me all week. I saw that marketplace plans might cost less. How did you decide?

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.