Rural Equity Medicare Act of 2002

[AI summary unavailable — showing source text] Rural Equity Medicare Act of 2002 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 (BIPA), and other Federal law to revise Medicare payments for rural and other health care providers, including those for inpatient critical access hospital services, home health care, and hospice care. Amends SSA title XI to provide that any remuneration in the form of an agreement between a public or non-profit private health center and any individual or entity providing goods or services to the health center is not a violation of the anti-kickback statute if such agreement contributes to the ability of the health center to maintain or increase the availability or quality of services provided to a medically underserved population. Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) replace current demonstration projects under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) with a permanent program for competitive acquisition of certain items and services; (2) extend the moratorium on the cap on therapy expenses for purposes of payment of Medicare benefits; and (3) provide for Medicare coverage of a free initial preventiv…