Includes certain other measures designed to assist rural areas. Provides for a full market basket increase in FY 2003 for Medicare hospitals in rural and small urban areas. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to increase the payment amount for home health services furnished in a frontier or rural area from April 1, 2003 to March 31, 2006.
Revises requirements with respect to critical access hospitals, providing coverage of costs for certain emergency room on-call providers. Provides for coverage of air ambulance services, including services requested by a Federal or State agency to relocate patients following a natural disaster, an act of war, or a terrorist attack.