Palantir Gets Millions of Dollars from New York City's Public Hospitals
Source: Hacker News
New York City’s public hospital system is paying millions to Palantir, the controversial ICE and military contractor, according to documents obtained by The Intercept.
Contract with NYC Health & Hospitals
- Since 2023, the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (NYC H& H) has paid Palantir nearly $4 million.
- The money funds software that “improves its ability to track down payment for the services provided at its hospitals and medical clinics.”
- Palantir’s platform automates billing of Medicaid and other public benefits and scans patient health notes to “increase charges captured from missed opportunities.”
“It’s unacceptable that the same company that is targeting our neighbors for deportation and providing tools to the Israeli military is also providing software for our hospitals,” said Kenny Morris, organizer with the American Friend Service Committee, which shared the contract documents with The Intercept.
Data‑use provisions
- The contract allows Palantir to work with patients’ protected health information (PHI).
- With NYC H& H’s permission, Palantir may de‑identify PHI and “utilize de‑identified PHI for purposes other than research.”
- De‑identification strips names, Social Security numbers, birthdays, etc.—a common practice in health‑data contracts.
Activists note that re‑identifying supposedly anonymized data is often trivial:
Palantir’s Broader Controversies
- ICE & immigration enforcement – Palantir supplies case‑management software that “plays a critical role in supporting the daily operations of ICE, ensuring critical mission success.”
- Military & surveillance – The firm has long worked with the Pentagon, U.S. intelligence agencies, and the Israeli military.
Activist & Union Reactions
“Any contract that shares any of New Yorkers’ highly personal data from NYC Health & Hospital’s with Palantir, a key player in the Trump administration’s mass deportation effort, is reckless and puts countless lives at risk,”
— Beth Haroules, New York Civil Liberties Union
“Palantir is targeting the exact patients that NYCHH is looking to serve. They should immediately sever their contract with Palantir and stand with the millions of immigrant New Yorkers that are being targeted by ICE in this moment.”
— Jonathan Westin, Climate Organizing Hub (Brooklyn)
“The chaos Palantir is inflicting through its technology is not just limited to the kidnapping of our immigrant neighbors and the murder of heroes like our fellow nurse, Alex Pretti. As a nurse and patient advocate, I don’t want anything having to do with Palantir in my hospital — and neither should any elected leader who claims to represent nurses.”
— Hannah Drummond, National Nurses United (Asheville, NC)
International Context: The U.K. NHS
Palantir also provides similar data‑analysis services to the U.K. National Health Service. The partnership has drawn criticism:
- Zack Polanski, Green Party leader, wrote to the U.K. health secretary demanding the contract be halted.
- The NHS relationship mirrors the concerns raised in New York: patient privacy and government surveillance.
Responses from the Companies
- NYC H& H spokesperson Adam Shrier did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
- Palantir spokesperson Drew Messing stated the company “does not use or share hospital data outside the bounds of its contract.”
Note on the Source
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[Video: Newly inaugurated democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani](https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6384521232112)
Health and Hospitals operates as a public benefit corporation, but the mayor can exert considerable influence over the network, for instance through the appointment of its board of directors. Its president, Dr. Mitchell Katz, was [renominated](https://www.nyc.gov/site/ocme/news/cm1025/mayor-elect-mamdani-renominates-nyc-health-hospitals-president-ceo-dr-mitchell-katz-and) by Mamdani, then the mayor‑elect, late last year.
The mayor’s office did not respond in time for publication when asked about its stance on the contract.