Health insurance gap after a layoff - 7 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 hotel front-desk agent. It has been a long 25 weeks. I think my income this year might qualify for a subsidy. 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.