COBRA quote is huge, any alternatives? - any advice?

The COBRA quote for my family is $450 a month and I do not know how to afford it. 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?

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.

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