Thanks, Carol. I think that's the answer - and everybody is right:

"The HI Trust Fund is inadequately financed over the next 10 years. Its assets are projected to fall below 100 percent of annual expenditures during 2011 and to be exhausted in 2017."

He's not going to "take" one dollar directly out of there (I misremembered - it wasn't dime) because there is nothing there to take. He's going to "take" it out of spending.

Medicare is the biggest problem out there. He HAS to cut costs and he HAS to get more money from somewhere BOTH for Medicare AND for expanded coverage and in a sane world he could not only admit it he would say it proudly.

They are working to save Medicare against a population that (they assume, rightly or wrongly) won't face facts.