A $1 billion donation from Michael Bloomberg to Johns Hopkins University will make medical school free for nearly all students at his alma mater.

The donation, announced by Bloomberg Philanthropies on Monday, will cover 100 percent of tuition for medical students whose families earn less than $300,000. It will also cover living expenses and fees for students whose families earn up to $175,000. Additionally, the gift increases financial aid for students at its schools of nursing, public health, and other graduate programs.

Bloomberg, the billionaire philanthropist and politician, expressed hope that the gift will help address the decline in U.S. life expectancy, which has not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels as other countries have.

“As the U.S. struggles to recover from a disturbing decline in life expectancy, our country faces a serious shortage of doctors, nurses, and public health professionals – and yet, the high cost of medical, nursing, and graduate school too often bars students from enrolling,” Bloomberg said in a press release. “By reducing the financial barriers to these essential fields, we can free more students to pursue careers they’re passionate about – and enable them to serve more of the families and communities who need them the most.”

Johns Hopkins stated that two-thirds of current or incoming medical students will be eligible for free tuition and will receive updated financial aid packages soon.

While Bloomberg’s generosity is commendable, it underscores a deeper issue within the American healthcare system. The fact that such substantial donations are necessary to make medical education accessible reveals the systemic barriers that prevent many aspiring healthcare professionals from entering the field. The prohibitive cost of medical, nursing, and graduate school exacerbates the shortage of healthcare workers, which in turn impacts the quality and accessibility of healthcare for the broader population.

This gift is not an isolated incident. Earlier this year, a $1 billion donation to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine from longtime professor Ruth Gottesman made medical school free there. Similarly, Kenneth and Elaine Langone’s $200 million gift last year to NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine made tuition free.

In 2018, Bloomberg made a $1.8 billion donation to Johns Hopkins to make undergraduate admissions need-blind, ensuring that a family’s income would not factor into admissions decisions.

These acts of philanthropy, while transformative, highlight a critical flaw: the reliance on private donations to address what should be a fundamental public concern. The high cost of medical education is a barrier that should be addressed through systemic reforms, not solely through the goodwill of wealthy individuals. A robust and equitable healthcare system should ensure that financial constraints do not deter capable and passionate individuals from becoming healthcare professionals. Until such systemic changes are made, the U.S. will continue to depend on extraordinary acts of philanthropy to patch the gaps in its healthcare infrastructure.