Establishing a gite business in France and health cover?

My husband and I have recently moved to France from the UK, I am 53 and my husband is 57. We have plans to run a small gite business, the reasons for this are twofold, firstly the gite will provide a top-up to our main income (which will come from my husband’s pension investments) and secondly (but equally as important for us) we need to gain access to the French health system. My husband will not draw down from his pension until 2018 and during 2017 we will live off savings.

We would anticipate future income in the region of 25,000 euro (from my husband’s pension) and 6,000 euro (gite business starting 2017) and we have the following questions:

1. Is auto-entrepreneur the most appropriate business model for gite business given the anticipated income indicated above and our requirement to gain access to the health system as soon as possible?
2. For reasons of tax efficiency and given that from 2018 other income will be from my husband’s pension, is it best to register the gite business solely in my name? We note the following from your website “Note that a collaborating partner (conjoint collaborateur) involved in the day-to-day running of the business costs a minimum of 3,000 euros tax in year one.”
3. What are the disadvantages (if any) if my husband is not a conjoint collaborateur?
4. If the gite business is registered solely in my name will my husband still gain health cover as we are a married couple?
5. We believe it may take some time to receive a carte vitale after registering the business but would we be covered from the date of business registration even if we have to reclaim costs retrospectively?