Perspectives. States forge ahead of feds on parity.

A Cabinet-level recommendation is expected soon on whether employers will be allowed to seek exemption from federal mental health parity-of-coverage requirements based on prospective or retrospective calculations of their compliance costs. The law provides exemption for plan sponsors whose parity costs exceed 1 percent of their total health spending. Meanwhile, though, many states are forging ahead with parity laws of their own, while advocates see the federal law as only a modest prelude.