I'm not entirely sure what would have worked, but I know that what they tried had little chance. It's like they were trying to minimize the number of people who had input to the bill. First of all, they kept it secret while it was being written. Then they ran it through committee as fast as they could, limited the opportunity for it to be fixed. Then they acted like somehow everyone was obligated to vote for it. Apparently Steve Bannon got the freedom caucus into a room and told them "this isn't a discussion, you have to vote for it," and was told in colorful terms that he was mistaken.
Any legislative process that seeks to reform an industry that accounts for something like 1/7th of the economy should be serious about including input from as many people as possible. No one is going to be allowed to force the issue through without input. And also, every deadline on this thing was completely artificial. There's no excuse for trying to rush when you're doing something this complicated and important.
From the time that Obama announced the push for the ACA, it took just over a year to actually pass it. They consulted with industry. They reached out to Republicans, who didn't really participate much, but they had the chance, and they were involved in the committee meetings, and actually offered amendments which made it into the bill. They reached out to Democrats with reservations, and did a whole bunch of horse-trading. Obama went on tour to promote the effort (as opposed to Trump, who goes on tour to hear the adulation of masses). In other words, they took the effort seriously, and they invested heavily in it.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/28/politics/supreme-court-health-timeline/
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-m...says-health-plan-incorporates-ideas-of-Democ/