WASHINGTON — The Senate is ready to begin a volatile, high-stakes healthcare debate that’s sure to be punctuated by tense and unpredictable battles over some of the most incendiary issues in American politics today.

Debate on the $848 billion bill to overhaul the nation’s healthcare system is expected to start next week, after the Senate returns from its Thanksgiving recess, and many lawmakers already consider it a golden opportunity to win long-sought projects and local aid for their constituents.

The flashpoints will be familiar — abortion, federal deficits, government involvement in healthcare decisions and other hot topics — and many Democrats already have said they want to see, and are well-positioned to seek, changes in the bill.

In fact, the legislation is moving ahead only because it got 60 votes Saturday night to proceed — the minimum needed — two weeks after the House of Representatives’ version squeaked through by five votes.

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