Short-Term vs. Short-Term/COBRA vs. Short-Term/Market Place

I recently lost my job, but am very close to lining another one up. However, my insurance is up and my wife and I need coverage (she has not available options).

My wife has nothing medical-wise coming up other than routine Rx refills that we already use GoodRx for anyways.

I am in the middle of trying to figure out what an issue I have been dealing with is. Nothing severe, but I am in the middle of tests tying to figure out what it is. I have done some already and need to do more. Its likely a side effect of a thyroid medication I take.

I have been trying to figure out the best way to proceed. I SHOULD have another job lined up within the next 10 days and would start shortly after. I think my wife could use a short-term plan and maybe I use COBRA so that I can continue the tests I need. Unless, do the tests qualify as a pre-existing condition?

The costs for the options I see are as follows:

Spouse and I on COBRA: $1,000/ mo Me on COBRA and spouse on shot-term: $550/ mo Both of us on market place insurance: $650/mo Both of us on short-term: $200-250/mo Me on COBRA and spouse on market place: $650/mo

Medicaid and Medicare are out of the question.

If, for some reason, I don't get a job, could my spouse opt to go from short-term to COBRA insurance, or would she be precluded? Or would she be limited to marketplace options after that?

Let me know if you need to know anything else.

thank you