That was certainly possible. We'll never know.
What the OP is advocating for is 1990s style triangulation. In essence their position is it’s worth letting the ACA die for a chance to use that as a bludgeon down the road. They hope the media will cover those stories and referee on our behalf, which is of course utterly ludicrous.
The ACA was passed 15 years ago in a much different political climate/landscape. What the OP, and others who are celebrating the capitulation as some sort of win don’t realize, is that it’s highly unlikely Democrats will ever be in the position to reconstitute the ACA again because the senate math is inherently more favorable to republicans. We’d need 60 seats.
In short, pre existing conditions, caps etc will eventually be eliminated as the ACA disintegrates.