Help with purchasing individual health insurance with some amount of employer reimbursement

International Student in the USA. Graduated. New employer does not provide any health insurance. But has agreed to provide some reimbursement (~$2500).

Basic information:

Timeframe: need coverage starting now until at least end of July 2023.

General regular checkups and bloodwork with PCP (maybe 2-3). Regular checkups with Ophthalmologist (maybe 2). Dental cleaning and (I fear some other stuff?). Derm visits (3-4) and some (2-3) prescription creams etc. (which are pretty cheap on GoodRx). Need regular mental health counseling.

Do NOT want to end up with huge hospital bills due to accident or anything like that. That’s one of the main goals.

Healthy mid 20s. No preexisting conditions.

I don’t want a plan with a deductible. Even a $1000 deductible doesn’t make sense to me, considering my needs.

Questions:

ACA complaint Or short term?

Best subscriptions (such as GoodRx gold/GoodRx card/BetterHelp) that I can add-on to decrease any future costs? Subscription preferred since employer won’t cover regular visits and checkups – just reimburse for insurance premiums

Is Gap coverage worth it? How do I decide?

Direct physician care worth it?

First time navigating my way and purchasing my own insurance. I will be living in NC. Appreciate any advice/pointers to resources.