COBRA quote is huge, any alternatives?, teaching assistant here

I was offered COBRA and the monthly cost is more than I expected as a teaching assistant. Thank you in advance. I saw that marketplace plans might cost less. How did you decide?

If you have a planned treatment, COBRA can make sense for a few months. Otherwise look at the marketplace first.

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.