>>One of his favorites aphorisms was "Don't believe your own BS."

>>John.. do you know how many people's lives were saved by the ACA?
>>Do you know how many people will die if it is repealed?
>>Not - markets ...premiums.. pre-existing conditions ....blah blah blah.
>>What was the effect of ACA on mortality and what will repeal mean to that number?

Mortality's 100% incidence isn't influenced by ACA or healthcare, apart from eventual causation/duration of postponement!

Morbidity is just as important when assessing worthiness of healthcare programs, as are other outcomes: for example, pre-ACA, medical expenses were the biggest cause of personal bankruptcy, including middle class insured people. Post-ACA, that fell by 50% - it halved. I know that bankruptcy doesn't necessarily mean that people die as was your question, but don't you think this is a positive result? In fairness there would be other contributors but medical costs are the big one and there were 700,000 households in 2016 that got to keep their homes and property.

Even you are affected, since the ACA includes (more than) 150 provisions relating to the Medicare benefits you enjoy and their current and future funding, including (for example) liability for coverage gap once you hit the Schedule D limits- as well as ACA provisions relating to Medicaid and CHIP. Perhaps you can research the ACA provisions applying to you, then let us know whether you and your fellow recipients would mind a bit of repealing?

But I suspect you're focused not on any of these elements, but on the 12.2m enrollees via the exchanges. In response: even US politicians exhibit bipartisan support for access to healthcare and Google is your copious friend if you want to read how ACCESS matters and why the US has come last every time in comparison with other Western Healthcare systems. I'm expecting that to lift in the imminent comparison but if you're not convinced, then why don't you go first? Explain your position and I'm happy to debate- assuming we disagree.

If your assertion is that collapse of the ACA would simply provoke healthcare via other routes: again, Google is your copious friend that the ACA's Medicaid expansions and access to parental policies already added access in 2016 for around 15 additional million on top of those via the exchanges, so you go first and justify your own belief and I'm happy to debate.