By Joseph J. Schatz, CQ Staff

House Democrats are closing in on an income surtax on wealthy Americans as a way to help pay for a massive health care overhaul package that could be announced Friday.

Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller , D-Calif., said Thursday that leaders of the House Ways and Means Committee were eyeing a surtax as one way to offset costs of the huge package, although he said he did not know how large it would be.

“I hope it’s big enough to pay for part of the bill,” he said as he walked into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ’s office late Thursday afternoon. He was soon followed by Ways and Means Chairman Charles B. Rangel , D-N.Y., and House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif.

The three chairman — Pelosi earlier called them “the three tenors” — have been jointly negotiating varying parts of a draft health care overhaul. They hope to unveil a package on Friday, then start formal committee markups next week.

The surtax would likely be levied on the adjusted gross incomes of top earners, though no details were available about the income level at which it would kick in for individuals or married couples.