As political pressure has reduced the price tag of expanding coverage to below $1 trillion over ten years, many observers assumed Democrats would react by trimming financial assistance for the middle class--that is, people making between twice and four times the poverty line, or between $44,000 to $88,000 for a family of four.

The assumption was that if Democrats had to make tough choices about what to cut, they'd protect the the poor and most vulnerable. After all, they're Democrats.

But now it appears that assumption may be wrong--or, at least, not entirely right.