Health

Rating a Health Law’s Success

By LARRY BUCHANAN, HANNAH FAIRFIELD and KAREN YOURISH

Scientists will look to certain diseases to measure the effectiveness of the Affordable Care Act.

Sources: World Health Organization; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development; U.S. Census Bureau; March of Dimes; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Note: Countries were selected by the O.E.C.D. for comparison, and had a rate lower than 200 deaths per 100,000 in 1997. Countries in blue are European leaders whose rates have been compared closely with the United States. Where 2007 data was not available, the most recent year is used.