Bernie Sanders could win my undying affection on Tuesday night if he does one thing:

[grantcart]

40. I took a day out in 2012 and looked at the history of the health plans of the 26 leading

modern Democracies.

What I found was two key common features:

1) All major and large minor political parties in all other countries, including some very far right nationalist parties support the idea of some kind of universal coverage. The only party among almost 100 parties that does not support it is the Republican Party. Conservative parties in Canada, Australia and Briton all enthusiastically support it.

2) That with the exception of one country all of these actions were gradual. Taking small steps and building public trust and building on success.

In 1947 Saskatchewan, experiencing a stubborn shortage of doctors passed a universal hospitalization act that covered serious conditions that required hospitalization. It gradually grew and it wasn't until 1966 that a true universal health care system was passed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Canada#History

By the way I think that the next best step to expand the ACA is not necessarily adding a public option, although I am fine with that but adding Universal Coverage for Catastrophic coverage, like Saskatchewan had.

That would mean that whenever a hospital case exceed say $ 100,000 that 100% of the costs would be paid for out of a catastrophic fund (that could be created with a very small tax on the top 10%).

It would be universally popular, even rich Republicans would welcome a plan that would pay for illnesses that are catastrophic. And it wouldn't be that costly because in reality most cases that are catastrophic end up being covered by Medicare, we just have to bankrupt the family first.

It wouldn't cost much, would be very popular, would eliminate most bankruptcies due to medical coverage and would expand federal oversight of the medical system.