Do this. Much of what the ACA is intended to do (we can debate its effect another day) is address low-income scenarios. Also, consider COBRA (and related state programs) as an intermediate step if available and necessary[1]. Dont' get a part-time job just for insurance...that's a distraction which will sap your energy and focus.

[1] http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq-consumer-cobra.html

Is it ethical to take a government subsidy intended for low- or no-income Americans if you have the savings to start a startup, and presumably the thought capital to be able to work for a real salary if it doesn't work out?

Yes. What do you think you paid taxes for while you were building those savings?

Think of all those folks use legal loophooles to move their millions to trust funds, so that they can get on medical, medicare, etc. Len Till, the radio lawyer from the bay area, used to give such advice!!

Absolutely consider COBRA.

You have 60 days after leaving a job to enroll. (At least in California.)

Looking at Covered CA: for the same monthly cost, I would be able to get significantly better Kaiser coverage through COBRA than I would getting a plan through Covered CA.

Of course, if your goal is to minimize cost by having just an "I won't go bankrupt if I need to go to the ER" plan, the calculus is different.

The Affordable Care Act is working pretty well for me as a lone wolf consultant.

Premiums for a bronze plan are about 35% less than I was paying previously (and I don't qualify for subsidies), with somewhat better coverage for prescriptions and office visits.

The selection of physicians is not great and deductibles are high, but that was true of my previous plan, too.

Lots of horrible issues with healthcare in general and the ACA in particular, but for me it's been a moderate improvement in quality along with a big reduction in cost.

This. If you've had no income for the past year, there's a very good chance you now qualify for completely free healthcare under Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California). The ACA altered the asset based qualifications for low income coverage. I believe it essentially has wiped out the asset test.