What free medical school doesn't do
And what is real goal is
Michael Bloomberg gave a billion dollars to Hopkins, and they have announced that medical school will now be free for nearly all students. Here are 3 things that won’t do, and the real benefit of free medical school
Free medical school doesn’t make primary care doctors or pediatricians. IF you make medical school free, if and only if, you go into primary care, that might incentivize people to do it. But, the current program, like NYUs, makes it free to all. This doesn’t change any future incentive. Ortho still makes millions more than pediatrics in lifetime earnings. NYU’s match list shows no increase in primary care. If anything, because free medical school draws in more talent, it may increase the rate with which students pursue competitive specialities
Free med school does not make more doctors. The number of doctors per annum is restricted by the number of residency slots not medical school slots. Already the US does not have enough medical schools and needs to import foreign medical doctors. Free med school does not make more residency spots.
Free med school does not give money to the less fortunate. Even the poorest student matriculating in medical school is assured millions in lifetime earnings. They will be much richer than their classmates. The average pediatricians net worth is many times that of the average kindergarten teacher. Free med school redistributes wealth from billionaires to millionaires.
What does free medical school do? It allows Johns Hopkins to recruit kids who would otherwise go to Stanford or Harvard. Those kids might have higher GPA or MCAT scores. This will move Hopkins up in the US News and World report ranking. That’s the real motivation behind free medical school. Moving up in a ranking that universities claim doesn’t matter.
Or people who will comply with orders rather than what’s best for patients?
Thank you, Vinay. The well meaning actions of billionaires like Bloomberg are full of ignorance as you point out. Free med school for those who pledge interest in primary care MIGHT work but how would one enforce if the student elects to become a surgeon after med school after two years of a family practice residency? These actions wreak of virtue signaling!!