HME Advocate Schwarz Defeated in Michigan Primary

Lansing, Mich.

Michigan Rep. Joe Schwarz, considered a champion for HME after authoring a bill to prevent home oxygen cuts, lost his House seat in the state’s Republican primary last month.

After serving only one term in Congress, Schwarz was defeated by opponent Tim Walberg, a minister, in Michigan’s 7th District.

Schwarz, an ear, nose and throat surgeon, was lauded by the industry earlier this year for introducing the Home Oxygen Patient Protection Act (see previous page).

In its member newsletter, AAHomecare called Schwarz’s defeat a “disappointment for home care.”

And in a message on The VGM Group’s Web site, John Gallagher, vice president of government relations for the Waterloo, Iowa-based buying group, said he believes Schwarz will continue to be a strong advocate for the oxygen bill before his term ends in December.

“There is a very strong lesson to be learned here by the HME industry … we must not put all our hopes and fears on one legislative champion. This reinforces the need for grassroots efforts to build multiple champions for the industry,” he said. “Politics is a very fickle partner; we need to ensure that we build support with each member of Congress.”