It didn't need 60 votes. it just needed 50 votes as a budget reconciliation bill. When the Senate approved the final version, it was by reconciliation, and anything subject to cloture would have failed anyways, thanks to Scott Brown. But the Democratic party preferred to tell progressives to go f**k themselves than have a good bill.
Certain provisions of the bill were done by reconciliation, such as the budgetary measures. But reconciliation would not have worked for the whole bill as it did not follow the contours of the Byrd Rule. Besides, passing it with reconciliation in 2010 created a flawed bill that the House couldn't amend and one of the many reasons the AHCA is flawed is because it is being pushed through with reconciliation(no insurance across state lines is not something that can pass reconciliation). Though abolishing the legislative filibuster altogether would have been good.
