Senators expect 'several weeks' to craft health deal

Senators anticipate having "several weeks" to wrangle over the final details of their health bill, one Democratic member said Tuesday.

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) emphasized that no bill in the Senate is "dead on arrival," as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) had claimed and that senators would work to finalize a deal that different members can live with.

"Well there's no bill that's going to be dead on arrival after the majority leader puts the two pieces together," Merkley said during an interview on the Fox Business Network. "Because we're all anticipating that we'll have several weeks to wrestle over many of the points including the source of funding."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has signaled that the Senate debate over its health bill could begin as early as next week. Senators are expected to face tough choices over how to finance the bill, whether the public option with an "opt-out" clause is viable, and whether or not to include a more explicit ban on funding for abortion like the provisions included in the House.

Some centrists have been skittish to sign onto some of those key provisions, setting up a potentially protracted debate over how to bring those members on board without alienating liberals in the Senate.

Merkley said during the interview that he still expects the bill to be passed out of conference for the president's signature "probably" by the end of the year.