- [Narrator] Funding for this edition of One-On-One with Steve Adubato has been provided by Johnson & Johnson.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

The North Ward Center.

The Fidelco Group.

NJM Insurance Group.

Serving New Jersey'’s drivers, homeowners and business owners for more than 100 years.

Choose New Jersey.

And by Caldwell University.

Promotional support provided by AM970 The Answer.

And by New Jersey Globe.

- This is One-On-One.

- I'm an equal American just like you are.

- The jobs of tomorrow are not the jobs of yesterday.

- Look at this.

You get this?

- Life without dance is boring.

- I don't care how good you are or how good you think you are, there is always something to learn.

- I did do the finale, and guess where my trailer was?

A block away from my apartment, it couldn'’t have been better!

- People call me 'cause they feel nobody's paying attention.

- (slowly) Start talking right now.

- That's a good question, high five.

(upbeat music) - Joining us now is Jim Carey, who is the Executive Director of the New Jersey Lottery.

How you doing Jim?

- I'm doing great, thanks for having me, Steve.

- You know, there are people who wonder a lot about the lottery, mostly why they don't win.

Okay.

So let's put this in perspective.

The lottery celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Excuse me, it's 50th anniversary in 2020 and record sales, record number of tickets being sold throughout the pandemic.

Even up to now at the end of June 2021, fair to say?

- Fair to say, we had a very strong year for lottery sales during the pandemic.

- Why do you think that is Jim?

- Well, you know, our fiscal year starts on July 1st and as we were going into the fiscal year, last year, it was in the middle of a pandemic.

We were nervous.

We didn't know what was going to happen.

We didn't know what to expect.

And as the year went on, what we saw is that consumers had fewer options for their entertainment dollars.

Casinos were closed, restaurants were closed.

You couldn't go to sporting events.

You couldn't go to movies.

And we always say that the lottery is a convenient, cheap way to have a little bit of fun.

And you could buy a lottery ticket when you were out buying necessities like milk.

And so players did that.

The lottery was still there all year.

And as a result, as you said, we had record sales last year.

- So put this in perspective for us.

You've heard this question a million times, but we need to ask it again.

Quote, where does the money go?

And this is written into the law.

It's clear.

There's not a lot of flexibility there.

So make it clear where the revenue from the lottery goes.

- Well the lottery law says that we are required to benefit educations in institutions.

And in 2017 legislation was passed that made the New Jersey Lottery a part of the state pension system.

So the lottery's profits go to benefit retirees and public servants.

Over the last three years that I've been here, we've contributed over a billion dollars each year to the state pension system, Governor Murphy for FY22 made a record contribution to the pension system and we'll be a part of that in FY22.

- You know, the other thing that every year a lot of people in New Jersey look forward to, I mean, and we're taping at the end of June, It'll be seen after, July 23rd to 25th the New Jersey Lottery Festival Ballooning is happening.

We'll show some video.

Team in post-production let's show some video because the pictures are amazing.

The video is awesome of these hot air balloons.

A.

Tell us why the festival matters.

B.

Why is the lottery the main sponsor?

- Well, the festival matters because it's a really Jersey event.

It's a lot of fun.

It's the 38th Annual Festival of Ballooning in New Jersey.

We were excited two years ago to become the name sponsor of the lottery.

We sponsor a lot of things in New Jersey.

We sponsor sporting events.

We sponsor sporting teams.

We have relationships with other people and the Festival of Ballooning it's so Jersey like the lottery that we thought it was a great opportunity for us to work together with the Festival of Ballooning and keeps something great, fun, and Jersey going in the state.

We're looking forward to it.

It was unfortunately canceled last year because of the pandemic, but we're really happy to bring it back as part of our 101 Days of Summer Annual Campaign.

- And it's in Readington, right?

- It's at Solberg Airport in Readington.

It's a lot of fun.

We're going to be there.

We're going to have a lottery zone, lottery land it's called for the first time.

we're going to have cornhole games.

We're going to have a separate cash pop stage where you can see up and coming New Jersey bands.

We're going to be selling lottery tickets.

We're going to have a quick draw lounge.

So it's going to be a lot of fun and we're looking forward to it.

- So listen, we will have that information up so people can go to the lottery website to find out more about the Festival of Ballooning, and also more about the lottery.

So make sure that that goes in there.

So, Jim, hey, let me ask you this, the gambling problem that many people have, or the problem with gambling, many people have.

And I don't know that how we distinguish between a gambling problem and a gambling addiction.

First of all, I know the lottery has a long history of being concerned about people, gambling, who could not, who should not be gambling.

And frankly, that it's a problem for, if not an addiction.

That's not really a question, but put this whole issue into perspective as the leader of the state lottery.

- Well, at the New Jersey Lottery, we take responsible gambling very seriously.

All of our marketing materials, all of our tickets have a message printed on them, 1-800-GAMBLER.

If you or someone you know may have a gambling problem, you can call up that number.

It's associated with the Council of Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey.

And if you call that number, you can get help or resources that a person might need.

We at the New Jersey Lottery worked very carefully with the Council on Compulsive Gambling every year.

We run a couple of campaigns in September.

We run a campaign to remind our retailers and parents that you have to be 18 to play the lottery.

Don't sell lottery tickets to children.

Every year around the holidays, we run a separate campaign that says, if you're going to gift lottery tickets, it's a great idea, We think it's fun, but do it responsibly and don't gift lottery tickets to children.

So we take that message of responsible gambling very seriously, it's an important part of what we do, and it's a message that we always want to get out there.

Jim let me ask you this, your career, in state government is an interesting one.

It's not a background in gambling activities, but you were formally connected to the AG's Office, if I'm not mistaken, The Attorney General's Office, right?

- Correct.

I spent most of my career in the state with the Attorney General's Office.

I was a prosecutor in the division of criminal justice doing white collar prosecutions and I was also a civil attorney doing most of my work for the Department of Banking and Insurance.

- And how do you find yourself heading up the New Jersey Lottery today?

How does that happen?

- Because I was lucky.

Because it's a great job.

I've got experience.

I love public service.

This is what I wanted to do when I graduated law school.

If you'd said, do you want to be the head of the New Jersey Lottery when I graduated law school, I wouldn't have said that and I wouldn't have expected that, but I wanted to do public service.

It was important to me and you do hard work and you put in a lot of time doing public service and sometimes you find yourself in the right spot.

- You know, to your point, as we end this segment, Jim, an awful lot of people use the term bureaucrat or someone who works for the government.

You just put it in perspective, at least as we look at it, as public service.

It is public service and to our public servants out there who give every day to try to make a difference in the lives of others, Jim you're included, we say, thank you.

So to you and to the family and the team at the New Jersey Lottery, we wish you all the best.

And those who play the lottery, as Jim said, do it responsibly.

You have to be of age.

And if you've got an issue or a problem, one more time, that website for the Council on Compulsive Gambling in New Jersey will be put up.

So Jim Carey, the Executive Director of the New Jersey Lottery, thank you so much, Jim.

- Thank you very much for having me.

And I would just add, you can follow us on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, @NJLottery.

We do a lot of stuff on social media and we'd love to socialize with you.

- That's all going to be up there as you're talking.

I'm Steve Adubato, that's Jim Carey and we'll be right back.

- [Narrator] To watch more One on One with Steve Adubato find us online and follow us on Social media.

- We're now joined by Dr. Leon Smith, Junior Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Barnabas Medical Center, part of the RWJ Barnabas health system an underwriter of our health care work.

Good to see you, Leon.

- Great to see you, Steve.

- I only call Dr. Smith Leon.

We go back a long way.

We're going to be talking about COVID and issues that a whole range of people, particularly women are concerned about.

But before we do that, your dad, the great late Dr. Leon Smith, who helped so many was a trailblazer in the field of infectious disease.

I interviewed him many times.

He's a great friend as you know, 12 years ago, he was on with us.

What did he say?

- He predicted a pandemic.

He didn't have the specifics, but he said something big is on the horizon.

And it's going to involve a virus that comes out of probably animals at the time and somewhere in a very poor part of the world.

But he wasn't the only one saying this other people were saying because of globalization and travel history and the sharing of animals and humans that something big was going to eventually take place.

Now there were some other epidemics, but there was nothing like this before, but he basically said on your show, I see this in the future.

- We've always learned from Leon, by the way, Google, do a Wikipedia, Dr. Leon Smith, you'll see.

Hey, this Leon Smith Jr. Yeah, I've lost count, And you've heard it more than I have.

There are so many friends of ours, even those who've gotten the vaccine, the COVID vaccine are like, look, got a 13 year old daughter.

I get, no, I can't, I'm worried that, particularly women.

Dispel for us, help us understand Dr. Smith, the connection or the lack of connection between COVID, the vaccine, and women and young girls of potential childbearing age later, there's a question there right?

- Right.

I think the theme of this show should be, you need to get vaccinated because, there are so many upsides to it.

And when we do things in medicine, just as you were talking to your own money manager, it's all about risk versus benefit.

Right?

I'm sure you've been on a plane within the last three years.

It's a rocket, it's a rocket ship.

It theoretically should be incredibly dangerous, but it isn't because of the people taking care of those planes and the technology.

I think the same applies to this.

If this virus weren't that bad, we wouldn't be talking right now, but this virus kills people.

And because it has an asymptomatic carrier state of about 65, 70%, it was the perfect storm because a lot of people had it and didn't know it.

Things like Ebola, for example, which is extremely lethal.

Those people got it and died.

They didn't spread it like this.

So you had an incredibly spreading virus that occasionally killed, and it was bad.

We had three women in the ICU pregnant over at St. Barnabas here over the last 12 months or so.

28 week pregnancy had to be delivered in the ICU.

She had a long course and lived and that's due to the credit of my partners and the other obstetricians and the pulmonologist and everybody taking care of her.

Then over the Christmas holiday, I had a 36 week.

There was a 36 week woman that tried to die on me several times, but she got through it.

She delivered soon thereafter and is fine now.

And there was a third woman that wasn't so lucky, whose baby lived, but she didn't.

And I had this virus and almost died- - You had COVID Leon.

- And my wife, I got it from a patient I'm sure.

I was up at one of our satellites in Bergen county at the time.

And there's no doubt I got it from a patient because four cafeteria workers were, or three were, dead within days after that.

And I got very sick.

I have asthma, you know, I'm no spring chicken anymore.

So these were risk factors.

I stayed out of the hospital because I knew there was an 88% chance.

If you went on the ventilator at that time, you wouldn't come off.

So I was doing everything I could to stay out of the hospital because there's a learning curve to this.

They didn't know a lot about it.

- But now on July 12th, as we do this taping Dr. Smith for those women and those men involved in women's lives, who are pushing, no, you don't need the vaccine.

Plus it's dangerous.

It could prevent you from having a healthy child down the road or even getting pregnant, help us.

Is there a direct correlation?

- Okay.

So first of all, there's no link to infertility at all.

Let's start with the infertility issue.

None.

Zero.

The only thing they've seen ironically is if men get the virus, the virus, not the vaccine.

They have lower sperm count.

So that's even more argument to get the vaccine.

So, women aren't more infertility based on this and men, if they get the virus, the wild strain virus, they can have lower sperm counts.

- But the other issue that you've raised Leon and I want to get this out there is that there's this disparity that continues to exist in black and brown communities.

Racial disparities in terms of who's being affected by COVID and the resistance to the vaccine.

Talk about it, please.

- Sure.

There's no doubt there's racial disparities and socioeconomic disparities we see all the time in medicine and it played out during this pandemic.

The other thing is we haven't been always the best at being trustworthy as a medical community to those folks.

And so there's a little bit of distrust there that I totally get.

So I think that we have to overcome that.

And the best way to overcome that is not you and me on the air, telling them what to do.

It's having a neighbor, a niece, a friend, get the vaccine and said, this was no problem.

It's word of mouth that really counts in this game.

- By the way, Leon's brother Steven Smith, who is an infectious disease specialist has been in the trenches as well on this.

And by the way, do this for us, Leon, your dad had such a great impact.

The other, your siblings, there was another physician named Smith in the family.

If I'm not mistaken, correct?

- My sister goes by her married name, which is Michelle Blackwood.

She's head of all the breast services.

She's a breast surgeon for Robert Wood Johnson, St. Barnabas health care.

And then there's Annie, who is a radiologist married to [indistinct] Dennehey he's a GYN Oncologist.

And then my brother, who's a banker.

Well, we call him the black sheep, but he's not.

He's a phenomenal banker.

He's one of the top people in the world, in his specialty.

- And by the way, let me be clear that Dr. Smith has been so helpful, this Dr. Smith in so many ways to our family and some difficult situations, Hey Leon, I know we only scratched the surface.

You provided important, valuable substantive.

And by the way, before I let you go, is there any place for politics in this discussion about who you voted for, who you like, who you don't like and a discussion about vaccine.

- I want to go back to the fact that this vaccine is safe during pregnancy.

It doesn't go systemic does not go to the baby.

It's a messenger RNA that creates a protein that goes nowhere.

In terms of the body, it's safe for breastfeeding, it's safe for women.

You don't have to delay to the third trimester.

The only thing I say to women, because they fear the first trimester, when the organs are forming in the fetus, if they don't want the vaccine then, I kind of back off in that situation.

And in terms of politics, you're absolutely right.

It should never of entered the world of politics at all, but on both sides of the aisle, there's a little bit of guilt, obviously more in this situation, on the Republican side who were in office at the time.

But I'm telling you, there is this, unfortunately, they're both lining up on either side and that's silly.

In Mississippi alone.

I think it's only 20 or 30% of the people are vaccinated and it's not all access to care.

There's certain regions in the country that are kind of anti-vax and that's silly.

- And there are regions in New Jersey that are anti-vax.

- Oh, I'm sure.

Yeah.

I mean, there's going to be pockets everywhere.

Sometimes it's just people having this lack of control.

As technology gets more and more away from us.

We fear it more because we don't understand it and what we need to in this situation, trust the people who actually do it.

- And Leon, I'm sorry for cutting you off.

There's a time issue.

You have cut through a lot of this, provided valuable substantive peer reviewed information and I can't thank you enough, Dr. Leon Smith Jr. All the best Leon to you and your family.

- Thanks big guy.

- I'm Steve Adubato stay with us we'll be right back.

- [Narrator] To watch more One on One with Steve Adubato find us online and follow us on Social media.

- We're now joined by Shabnam Salih, who is Director of the New Jersey Office of Healthcare Affordability & Transparency.

Shabnam, thank you so much for joining us.

- Hi, thank you, Steve.

Thanks for having me.

- Tell everyone what your office is, and why it matters now more than ever?

- So, the Office of Healthcare, Affordability & Transparency, the governor set up, you know, shortly prior to the pandemic, but now more than ever to the point, you know, you just highlighted the COVID pandemic has had a devastating impact, but taught us many things.

And now more than ever, recognizing that access to affordable, quality healthcare is critical, not only for the health and wellbeing of our residents and families, but to our broader communities, and to our economy.

So, setting up this office and the governor's office was really an opportunity to double down on the administration's healthcare and affordability work so that we can make sure more of our residents, businesses, employers, all those who are purchasing health benefits, have access to more affordable quality care.

- How has this related to the Get Covered NJ Initiative being extended throughout the end of the year.

Tell everyone what that is?

We'll put the website up so we can even be involved in an important public awareness effort.

Tell everyone what it is and why it matters?

- Yeah, absolutely.

Our department of banking and insurance this year, we launched the New Jersey's own state-based exchange, and we've done a number of things in the individual market that have ultimately helped bring premiums to lower today than they were when the ACA was first implemented.

So, a whole host of policy changes and programs that I've implemented, that have really made a significant impact on affordability for New Jerseyans who are purchasing on the individual market.

So, again, there've been a number of things that the administration has led in the individual market through our Medicaid program, through our state health benefits, and school employee health benefits plans.

And these have made a significant impact in providing real consumer relief in the short term.

What we're also working on, is something called the New Jersey Healthcare Cost Growth Benchmark Program, which is a mouthful, I know.

But it's really a program and an opportunity for us to take a look at healthcare affordability work in the longterm.

So, we recognized that consumers need real relief and support now, and in the short term.

And Get Covered New Jersey is a great way to connect more New Jerseyans to affordable health care.

So, for anyone who is uninsured or under-insured, or wants to do some- - We'll put it up right now.

It will be on the screen.

What happens when they go to the site, Director?

- So, a number of different things.

If you're uninsured, or under-insured, or you wanna shop around, there are different tools on there where you can compare different types of plans, learn more about your options.

There, we have for the first time, state level subsidies that have helped make these plans more affordable for more New Jerseyans, The American Rescue Plan, which the federal...

So, there's new funding and subsidies available from the federal administration- - New federal dollars?

- Yup.

That have made a huge impact in lowering premiums for a lot of residents as well, both in New Jersey and certainly across the country.

- You know, there are a lot of executive orders, and some of them are very hard to follow in terms of what they're for and why they matter.

Executive Order Number 217 signed on January 28th, 2021.

What is it?

And please, tell folks why it matters to them directly?

- Sure.

So, you know, Steve, you highlighted Get Covered New Jersey, which is really about getting folks connected to the coverage that they need today, and that they need in the short term.

Executive Order 217 did a couple of different things, really focused on, how is it that as an administration, we can continue to support and make real progress on affordability and accessibility measures in health care for all of those that we know need it?

One of the primary things that the executive order does, is it sets us up on the path to developing a Healthcare Cost Growth Benchmark or a target, whichever you wanna call it.

And what the benchmark is, is really a...

It's a simple idea, but I think it's a really bold and big idea.

And what it's...

The premise it's certainly focused on, is that healthcare costs have grown too quickly, they are- - Much greater than the degree...

Sorry for interrupting, Director.

At a much greater rate, and a much higher rate than wages clearly?

- Than wages, than folk's income, than the economy.

And we know this is unsustainable.

We all must have someone in our lives or someone we know that has struggled with the cost of healthcare, whether it's purchasing coverage, or out of pocket costs, or, you know, their co-insurance.

So, we know this rate of growth is unsustainable.

Healthcare is feeling more and more expensive, whether you're a family purchasing it for yourself, whether you're an employer wanting to, you know, attract and retain a competitive workforce, this is it's getting more and more challenging.

So, what the benchmark- - we've got 30 seconds left.

So, what is the... What happens with this executive order?

And what impact will it have?

- So, what the benchmark program does, it brings us all together to set a common goal around how much healthcare costs should go up from year to year.

We take a look at that benchmark, and then we measure ourselves against that benchmark to see how we're doing.

So, it pulls...

It allows us to get a hold of the data, and we are able to use the data and transparency as a tool to understand what the cost drivers are, develop real solutions and strategies to address the most significant cost drivers and issues we see.

And it really sets up, I think for the first time in a long time, a really strong foundation for healthcare affordability work in the state for not only in the short-term, but the long-term as well.

- Could not be a more important initiative impacting millions and millions of people.

Not just in New Jersey but across the nation.

Director, thank you so much for joining us.

We appreciate it.

- Thank you for having me.

- And we thank you so much for watching.

And make sure you see us next time.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato has been a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by Johnson & Johnson.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

The North Ward Center.

The Fidelco Group.

NJM Insurance Group.

Choose New Jersey.

And by Caldwell University.

Promotional support provided by AM970 The Answer.

And by New Jersey Globe.

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