COBRA quote is huge, any alternatives? after 9 years as an electrician's helper

I just got my COBRA paperwork and the deadline to decide is close. I would rather hear the honest version than the polite one. 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.

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.