Last year I discussed some of the problems with the so-called Mental Health Parity Act now moving through Congress. Now, it appears that House conferees have reached agreement.

The conferees, in an offer to the Senate, deleted a provision in the parity bill the House passed last year that would require group plans to provide coverage for all mental health care services listed in the most recent edition of a diagnostic treatment manual published by the American Psychiatric Assn.

That provision, opposed by employer groups, is not included in the mental health care benefits parity bill the Senate passed last year.

While a huge obstacle preventing a final agreement is gone, conferees still have to resolve numerous other differences between the two bills, such as a House provision not directly related to mental health care parity that would impose certain restrictions on physician-owned hospitals.

Thus, it is still possible to avoid this new, nationwide mandate that would likely add between five and ten perdent to the cost of a health insurance policy, but Congress is moving closer to passage.