Rural Hospital Payment Equity Act of 1990

Rural Hospital Payment Equity Act of 1990 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to equalize average standardized Medicare payments for urban and rural hospitals.

Requires the Security of Health and Human Services to collect data on compensation and paid hours of employment for hospital employees in various occupational categories and use such data to establish a professional and non-professional occupational component for each area wage index used in reimbursing hospitals for wage-related costs. Directs the Secretary to develop a legislative proposal allowing for the adjustment of a rural hospital's wage index by substituting the professional occupational component of the wage index used in the nearest metropolitan area for the professional occupational component that would otherwise apply to such rural hospital's area wage index.