Weighing a contract offer against waiting (update)

I got a contract offer for 10 months as a nurse's aide and I am unsure whether to accept. The contract could extend. How did you handle benefits?

Buy coverage through the marketplace if the contract has none. I budgeted for it before signing.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 4 months ago, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.