COBRA quote is huge, any alternatives? (Milwaukee)

I was offered COBRA and the monthly cost is more than I expected as a quality inspector. My old employer will not help with the premium. Did anyone switch mid-year?

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 7 months ago, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.