Everyone’s situation is different. Harvard does not offer any merit scholarships; however, Harvard guarantees to meet the full financial need of every admitted student. Accordingly, there are kids who attend Harvard from families who are low-income who pay little to nothing for an Ivy League education. On the other hand, the kid in the article comes from a middle-income household thus Harvard would expect that his family would be willing to pay probably somewhere between $25K - $40K a year, depending on their exact financial circumstances to get that Harvard degree.
Faced with those realities, and in consideration of the fact that his education does not end at the undergraduate level, it sounds to me like this kid made a savvy financial choice in choosing to get his undergraduate degree essentially debt free at UA. That’s a decision however based on the unique circumstances of his family, everyone’s situation is different. For bright kids from low-income families who participate in programs such as Questbridge, an Ivy League education is likely going to be cheaper than going to their local flagship university - but that’s not the kid’s situation.
Having said that, I wouldn’t be surprised that once his undergrad education at UA is completed, this very bright and savvy kid will likely end up at one of those “elite” medical schools like Johns Hopkins or Harvard Medical School, albeit with no undergraduate debt. Good luck to him.