U.S. Panel Pushes Prenatal Care

WASHINGTON — A federal panel recommended today that America get serious about ensuring the health of its newborn citizens--if for no better reason than to save money.

Noting that more than $3 is saved for every dollar spent on prenatal care, the Institute of Medicine said government health officials--federal and local--should seek out pregnant women to make sure they get care they and their babies need early on rather than wait for frail and diseased infants to be born.