The only thing that helped me when I was in your position was getting a full-time job with a company that had insurance. That brought my $500+/month insurance bill (in the late 1990's) that didn't cover much down to only half that and the best money could buy.

Does your State have any State plans that might be less expensive? I'm in Maryland and it has a plan for those who can't get insurance/good insurance anywhere else. A friend found it was much cheaper than the COPRA he was paying and switched.