Get insurance outside of open enrollment?

I messed up and didn’t sign up for health coverage with my new employer within 30 days. They say I can’t get coverage through them now until open enrollment. So I figured okay buy some outside my employer and called insurance companies. But they’re all saying the same thing. I even went on my state’s healthcare site and they said the same thing.

So I looked up short term coverage and even all of them I could find won’t cover me in my state or only cover dental. I looked up cobra too and dont qualify there either because it’s been longer than 60 (I thought I was covered this whole time I’ve had this job so I didn’t even know until a few days ago and it’s been a few months.)

I was literally told by an insurance agent that it would be illegal for any company to cover me and when I said, but I’ve got the money to pay even if it’s a lot and that I’m scared of getting into some random accident and needing coverage before January when I can get it again, and was told by her that that wouldn’t be fair and that I should have known better!

So… I just feel super anxious and defeated now. Is there really nothing I can do?