COBRA quote is huge, any alternatives? (update)

The COBRA quote for my family is $500 a month and I do not know how to afford it. Thank you in advance. My spouse has a chronic condition, so dropping coverage feels risky. How did you decide?

Check what the notice says about the election period and when coverage starts. Mine allowed a short window to choose.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 12 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.