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Tom Yamachika

Government & Politics

Viewpoints

One bill in our legislative session that was getting a lot of attention, at least with respect to written testimony, is 

, Relating to Universal Immunization Funding Program. This bill is an Administration bill sponsored by the Department of Health. 

The bill would establish a “universal immunization funding program” and an associated special fund. The idea would be that the Department of Health would buy a bunch of vaccines in bulk along with equipment that would be necessary to preserve them, such as cold storage. Those vaccines would then be distributed to everyone who needs them, at little or no cost to the patient or the patient’s family. In that way, we would take advantage of economies of scale because of the bulk purchasing, and we would be able to distribute vaccines to people who can’t afford them, thereby saving on costly treatment costs and possibly saving lives as well. According to the bill preamble, 14 states have a similar program in place. 

What doesn’t seem to be covered in the bill is how the vaccines in the program are selected, how they are going to be distributed, and to whom the vaccines will be administered. 

And, when it comes to immunity, the State gives some to itself as well. One of the bill sections states that “there shall be no liability on the part of and no cause of action against the department, its independent contractors, or its employees for any action or omission in the course of operating the universal immunization purchase program.” This is different from the general rule in chapter 662, HRS, which says that the State can be liable for negligence or intentional harms inflicted, but not for exercising the discretionary functions of government. I guess that means they think people might be harmed through operating this program, and they want to rid themselves of all possible liability in advance. How reassuring. 

Then, someone or something needs to pay for these vaccines. So here is the funding mechanism: a new assessment (a new tax) against health plans and health insurers. Specifically, the bill defines “assessed entity” as “any health insurer in the State, that is not federally funded, issuing individual and group accident and health or sickness insurance policies, individual or group hospital or medical service plan contracts, and nonprofit mutual benefit society, fraternal benefit society, and health maintenance organization health plans.”

For this aspect, we have to wonder why this program is not funded through normal tax revenue appropriated to the Department of Health like other programs run by the Department. A tax on health care plans and insurers would certainly be passed on to employers and health plan members, and that tax would probably fall on ordinary workers and salaried employees more than anyone else. In that respect, it would probably be more regressive than our current tax system &#40;which is quite regressive as it now is&#41;. And then, why is a special fund needed? What is so different about this program that makes it impossible or impractical to fund through the normal legislative appropriations process that is set forth in the Hawai‘i Constitution?

As with a number of other bills this session, there are attractive aspects but also provisions that raise substantial concerns. 

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<title>Community Voices: Universal vax for Hawai‘i | Aloha State Daily</title>

A new bill would tax health plans so that the state can buy bulk vaccines for people not otherwise entitled to receive free vaccines. It also immunizes the state itself — against lawsuits.

Community Voices: Universal vax for Hawai‘i

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawaii History

Columnists

Before Hawaiians had a written language, storytelling was vital for preserving history, culture, and traditions. Known as mo‘olelo, these oral narratives connected people to their kūpuna (ancestors), ‘āina (the land), and na akua (the gods). Stories reinforced social and cultural identity, linking families, ali‘i (chiefs), and the land while shaping traditions and beliefs.

Storytelling is the foundation of knowledge that shapes our traditions and beliefs. We strive to share this connection to our past by keeping our history alive, ensuring that even today, the voices of the past still speak through the mo‘olelo that have been passed down. 

As we continue to honor the power of storytelling, we will share mo‘olelo that explore the mysterious and unexplained. Many of these stories reveal how deeply Hawaiians believed in the presence of spirits, omens, and ancestral guidance.

Hawaiians did not separate the natural from the spiritual. Instead, they viewed them as deeply connected. There was no exact word for “supernatural” in ancient Hawai‘i because spiritual occurrences were considered part of everyday life. In those ancient days, encounters with ‘aumākua (family guardian spirits), night marchers (huaka‘i pō), and lapu (ghosts) were accepted realities. Terms like mana (spiritual power) and ho‘ailona (omens) described these experiences, reflecting a worldview where the unseen was as real as the seen.

With the arrival of foreigners, new beliefs and spirits merged into Hawai‘i’s cultural fabric. Tales of faceless spirits, obake, and aswang became part of the local lore, shared alongside legends of night marchers and lapu. These stories illustrate our Island community, where different cultures, and their ghosts, coexist. 

In the following stories, we will explore the hauntings, legends, and supernatural experiences that continue to shape Hawai‘i’s rich storytelling tradition. Our first story brings us to Downtown Honolulu.

The ‘Ewa-mauka corner of North King Street and Nu‘uanu Avenue is currently occupied by a newly restored structure whose facade has been kept as close to the original as possible. Named “Hocking Hale,” the building is part of the city’s adaptive reuse project aimed at creating much-needed 

Before Hocking Hale, the building housed First Hawaiian Bank, which acquired the First Interstate/American Security Bank that previously occupied the space. Prior to that, it was the Chinese-American Bank. However, the building existed before the basement and first floor were redesigned to accommodate the bank. 

When the building was initially completed in 1914, the first floor boasted six new storefronts along King Street and Nu‘uanu Avenue. The second floor was set aside for “sample rooms” where traveling salesmen could display and sell their goods for a fee, and the third floor was made up of hotel-style rooms available for short-term rental. Prior to the Hocking building, a wooden two-story structure housed a Merchants’ Exchange that sold liquor and beer and later became a saloon.

Going further back, before wooden and stone structures were built over that parcel of land, there stood a lōkū, a place for indoor games and evening entertainment. Hawaiian politician, historian, and royal advisor to the Kamehameha dynasty, John Papa ‘Ī‘ī, describes a lōkū as “a place where men and women of every kind gathered in the evenings to enjoy themselves.”

Some amusements indulged in were hula and oli and games such as kilu and puhenehene. According to ‘Ī‘ī, the ghosts of earlier participants who once enjoyed gathering here are said to congregate in this lōkū every evening from seven o’clock until midnight. Even the legendary night marchers are said to pass through this place. 

, William Drake Westervelt confirms the lōkū as a gathering spot for wailua (ghosts), stating that the ghosts in these places made nighttime a source of dread.

Several people who worked in the bank said the building is indeed haunted, and working anytime after dark was especially creepy. Some said they saw dark, moving shapes in the corners and along the walls, even though no one was present to cast a shadow. Others claimed that they would hear whispering when no one was near them. One worker involved in the recent restoration and conversion of Hocking Hale said he and his coworkers often felt an eerie presence while working in the basement, where the vault is located. 

[{"text":"What will the new tenants think?","type":"text"}]

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<title>The eerie history of Chinatown's Hocking Hale | Aloha State Daily</title>

This week, ASD launches a weekly column by Robert and Tanya Kapanui, historians and co-owners of the popular ghost tour, Mysteries of Hawai‘i. Together, they'll take readers on a journey into the historic, spiritual and supernatural dimensions of Hawai‘i places.

The eerie history of Chinatown's Hocking Hale

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

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Aloha Spirit

Hawaii History

Opinion

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Hawai‘i women's basketball draws UNLV in WBIT

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Behind its pitching staff, Kamehameha baseball enters 2025 ahead in the arms race

Hawai‘i women's basketball eliminated in Big West semifinals

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For Hawai‘i football, the mission continues following spring practice

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Campbell High School breaks ground on $25.3 million athletic facility upgrade