Is Medicare worth saving?

[dkf]

67. If those funds were already spent how is it the total benefits are being paid?

Here is the trustees report:

http://www.ssa.gov/oact/trsum/index.html

Here are the relevant numbers:

482.4 in payroll taxes
87.8 in general fund reimbursements for the payroll tax holiday
22.2 in taxes on benefits.
For a total of 592.4 billion

Now if the trust fund did not exist there would not be the interest paid on this trust fund of 106.5.

Then the fund would not have been able to cover the 603.8 in benefits.

So without interest on the fund the receipts are 592.4 so it would be short funds to pay the 603.8 expenditures.

So the fund does exist and allows the payout as promised. Of course the fund is an IOU from the general fund which is kind of a joke but it does exist.