Health insurance gap after a layoff

My family's coverage ended with the layoff and we have a prescription we cannot skip. This is my first time dealing with any of this. The COBRA notice arrived with a very high price. How fast did coverage start?

Compare the monthly price with the deductible. A cheap plan with a huge deductible can cost more if you need care.

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.