COBRA quote is huge, any alternatives? - what worked for you?

I just got my COBRA paperwork and the deadline to decide is close. Any experience at all would help. My spouse has a chronic condition, so dropping coverage feels risky. Is the decision time really that tight?

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.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.