Health insurance gap after a layoff - 5 months and counting

My employer coverage ended at the end of the month and I am trying to work out what to do as a graphic designer. I do not want a gap in coverage. How fast did coverage start?

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.

A free navigator at a community health centre walked me through my options. It took an hour and saved me a lot of guessing.