CHICAGO (AP) – Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar has announced a plan to spend $ 100 billion over a decade to improve mental health and addictions, a problem the senator from Minnesota has was confronted as the daughter of an alcoholic struggling with addiction issues. years before becoming sober.
The large-scale plan, released Friday, includes funding for early intervention for mental health and addictions, a national suicide prevention campaign, better access to opioid addiction and other types of treatment, and the recruitment of health workers in rural areas and underserved cities with the greatest need.
Ms. Klobuchar also stated that as Chair she would give priority to the treatment of substance abuse and addiction to the incarceration of non-violent offenders, noting that she supported the courts of addiction as an alternative to prison while she was the principal prosecutor of the largest county of Minnesota.
Klobuchar, who announced his 2020 campaign in February, often talks about his father's alcoholism and the impact it has had on his life. She says it's one of the topics she talks about most often when she campaigns for the Democratic nomination in an overcrowded place. candidates. She says that her father was "genuinely treated" after his third arrest for driving while intoxicated. He remained sober with the support of his friends, family, and faith, which he calls being "pursued by grace," she says.
"The only thing I hear across the country over and over again is the stories about mental health and addictions: People need help, but they just can not get it. to get it, "she says. "I think everyone should have the same chance that my father is being chased by grace and receiving the treatment and help he needs."
The $ 100 billion would come largely from opioid manufacturers, Klobuchar saying that these companies should be held responsible for the creation of the opioid crisis in the country. The plan would provide considerably more money than previous drug addiction efforts – the opioid bill signed by President Donald Trump last year brought in $ 6 billion over two years – but is based on the adoption of new legislation and the approval of a massive judicial settlement that has not yet been finalized. .
Klobuchar would impose new fees of 2 cents per milligram of the active ingredient of a prescription pill, which, according to her, would be paid by the manufacturer or the importer and would provide a permanent source of income to his diet. The pharmaceutical industry opposed a similar proposal in New York, saying it would lead to higher prices for consumers. Klobuchar's plan would exempt fees on certain opioids, such as those used in the treatment of cancer.
Klobuchar is also proposing a framework agreement between the drug companies, the states and the local governments that sued them, an agreement that would be similar to the 1998 tobacco agreement between the states and the five largest drug companies. cigarette manufacturers of the country.
Klobuchar's suicide prevention program would include campaigns targeting veterans, farmers, LGBTQ people and tribal communities, for which the suicide rate is above average.
She wants better enforcement of the laws for Medicare companies to cover mental illness and substance-related disorders in the same way as physical illnesses. It would increase access to treatment with drug treatment in federal and state prisons to help detainees safely detoxify themselves and stay clean.
15PICTURES
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar Throughout Her Political Career
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Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition and Consumer Law, holds a hearing on pay-to-delay agreements between corporations pharmaceuticals and their generic drug competitors, which critics say keep. cheaper off-market drugs, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Tuesday, July 23, 2013. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite)
Prosecutors Amy Klobuchar of Hennepin County, Minnesota, and President Clinton observe Tuesday in the White House Hall on Wednesday, April 25, 2000, while Attorney General Janet Reno discussed the reinstatement of crimes motivated by hate. (AP Photo / Ron Edmonds)
Hennepin County Lawyer, Amy Klobuchar, left, and attorney Alan Harris speak with reporters on Thursday, April 3, 2003 in Minneapolis after the former Minnesota Twins player played Kirby Puckett was found not guilty in the alleged sexual assault of a woman in the bathroom of a restaurant. . (AP Photo / alcofer bill)
United States – July 11: candidate Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. (Photo by Tom Williams / Roll call / Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – November 8: Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Examines a graph of Senator Kent Conrad, DN.D., member of the Agriculture Experts Group and Chair of the Senate Committee on budgets, at a new conference on the draft re-authorization of the agricultural program. The Senate's progress on the $ 288 billion measure to renew agricultural programs ended on November 6, when Democrats and Republicans clashed over which amendments could be proposed. (Photo by Scott J. Ferrell / Congressional Quarterly)
Washington, USA: US Senator Barbara Boxer (left), D-CA and Senator-elect Amy Klobuchar (right), D-MN, pass by a group of photographers upon their arrival for a bipartisan Senate workshop on Women's Power in the Senate of Senator Barbara Mikulski, D-MD, November 14, 2006 at Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. AFP PHOTO / Karen BLEIER (The photo credit should read: KAREN BLEIER / AFP / Getty Images)
From left to right, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. And Al Franken, D-Minn., React as they are recognized by President Barack Obama on Friday, June 1, 2012 in Honeywell, Golden Valley, Minnesota (Photo AP / Carolyn Kaster)
United States – November 13: Senate minority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Second from right, poses for a photo shoot with Senators elected Democrats. Reid will assume his majority leadership role when the 110th Congress begins in January 2007. From left to right: James Webb, David, Bernard Sanders, I-Vt, Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Reid and Jon Tester, D- Mountain. (Photo by Scott J. Ferrell / Congressional Quarterly / Getty Images)
United States – August 25: Amy Klobuchar, Democratic Senator from Minnesota, waves to the crowd after delivering a speech on the first day of the 2008 National Democratic Convention (DNC) in Denver, Colorado, United States. Monday, August 25, 2008. DNC will take place from August 25 to 28. (Photo by Matthew Staver / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 12: At a press conference on oil dependence and global warming, Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Verified a Miles ZX405, a 100% electric vehicle produced by Miles Electric Vehicles. The company was founded in 2004 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Miles Rubin. The ZX405 is capable of 25 mph and has a range of 40-50 miles. Miles Electric Vehicles is owned by Miles Automotive Group, Ltd. and is headquartered at the historic Santa Monica Airport, Santa Monica, California. (photo by Scott J. Ferrell / Journal of Congress / Getty Images)
Accompanied by Senators Linsey Graham (left) and Amy Klobuchar (right), US Senator John McCain (right) answers questions at a press conference at the US Embassy in Tokyo on April 10th. 2009. The three senators are here to exchange their points of view with the Japanese. officials. AFP PHOTO / Toru YAMANAKA (The photo credit should correspond to TORU YAMANAKA / AFP / Getty Images)
Senator Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. and Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. are seen on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, before the start of President Barack Obama's speech on the state of the Union in Washington. (AP Photo / Charles Dharapak)
Senator Joe Manchin, DW.V., left, Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Right, and Senator Robert Casey, D-Pa., Second from right, leave the Senate Chamber while Leaders are negotiating a "fiscal cliff" solution, automatic tax hikes and dark cuts in spending that could begin on January 1 at the Capitol in Washington, DC on Sunday, December 30, 2012. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 26: Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) goes on stage to deliver her speech on the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center on July 26, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton received the necessary number of votes to secure the party's nomination. About 50,000 people are expected in Philadelphia, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day National Democratic Convention began on 25 July. (Photo by Alex Wong / Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 15: Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) listens to a testimony at the confirmation hearing of US Attorney General William Barr's candidacy on January 15, 2019 in Washington, DC. Barr, who was previously Attorney General under President George H. W. Bush, was confronted with the opinion of Special Advocate Robert Mueller about the investigation. (Photo by Alex Wong / Getty Images)
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Klobuchar's background also played a role in his interrogation of Brett Kavanaugh, a Supreme Court candidate, at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee last year, a moment that helped improve his image. on a national level.
Klobuchar asked Kavanaugh, accused of sexually assaulting a woman several years earlier, while she was in high school, had already drunk so much that he no longer remembered which had happened. Kavanaugh, who denied the allegation of assault, reversed the question by asking Klobuchar: "What about you?"
Klobuchar continued, imperturbable, as Kavanaugh still asked. Kavanaugh later apologized to Klobuchar.
"When you have an alcoholic parent, you are very careful about drinking," she says. "I was really trying to shed light on the facts and the evidence."
Klobuchar will promote her project during field visits Friday in Detroit, where she will address a group of African-American local government leaders, as well as upcoming visits to Iowa and New Hampshire.
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