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

I was offered COBRA and the monthly cost is more than I expected as a janitorial supervisor. I saw that marketplace plans might cost less. Did anyone switch mid-year?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 6 months ago, and it settled down 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.