CARROLL, Iowa (Nov. 17, 2014)—The HME industry saw one of its own swept into office earlier this month when Republican Brian Best won a seat in Iowa House District 12, defeating two-term Democrat incumbent Dan Muhlbauer. The 54-year-old Best has owned BestMED Respiratory, a one-location fixture in Carroll, Iowa, for the last 13 years.
Best worked for major nationals after getting out of college, driving trucks and delivering H tanks before getting his respiratory certificate in 1991. The big-picture perspective has given Best a framework in which he hopes to help business owners of all stripes to better deal with what he views as increasingly onerous government intrusion.
“The overriding reason I ran for office was to give back and help future generations,” says Best. “I have a lot of concerns about how things are going right now. I see overreach in almost every aspect of government, including what Obamacare has done to businesses. It started before that with the amount of audits, and it has gotten worse.”
Best is a member of VGM and the Midwest Association of Medical Equipment Services (MAMES), and says, “At this point, I feel like I should join AAHomecare.” Due to the long campaign, he was not able to attend Medtrade last month, but he is making plans for Medtrade in Atlanta next year.
“I think rural health care is a major part of what keeps our towns and communities together,” says Best, who takes office on Jan. 16, 2015. “So I’m doing whatever I can to make sure that our hospitals, home health agencies, hospices and DMEs stay viable in a rural setting.”
“Having never run for state office, Best didn’t know what to expect,” adds Rose Schaffhauser, executive director, MAMES. “What made his win possible was the support from friends, family and future constituents.” – Greg Thompson
