WASHINGTON — The Clinton Administration will launch a nationwide campaign next month to call attention to America's health care woes and try to rouse the public to demand congressional approval of reforms, a Democratic senator said Thursday.

Sen. John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), announcing the White House strategy, said that preparing the reform plan and the sales campaign is like "getting ready for Normandy Beach, and Hillary (Rodham Clinton) has been (Gen.) Dwight Eisenhower," a reference to the World War II allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe.

The President will decide on the content of the reform program by the end of August and the Administration will follow with a series of public events--rallies, meetings and speeches--in September to generate enthusiasm.

"There is nothing so beautiful to me as an enraged public focused on an issue," said Rockefeller, who has been deeply involved in the health care reform plan.

President Clinton will "begin a health care conversation with the nation" in August, probably in a speech to the National Governors' Assn., Rockefeller said. He is to outline the proposed reforms in late September in a major presidential speech to a joint session of Congress, with the legislation to go to Capitol Hill soon afterward.

The Administration's strategy will be to dramatize flaws in the current health care system, under which prices are rising rapidly and 37 million Americans lack insurance. "If we have done our job" in stirring up voters, "woe be the Republican or Democrat who votes 'no' on health reform," Rockefeller said.

Despite the enthusiasm and determination of the Administration and supporters, the health reform plan faces major obstacles, principally linked to the cost of meeting Administration promises to provide everyone with a generous package of benefits.

The basic plan would require all businesses to provide health insurance for their workers, with companies paying about 80% of the cost. Total spending for businesses is expected to be about 7% or 8% of payroll costs, whereas workers would contribute about 2% to 3% of their pay, although no final decisions have been made. Small businesses, however, are likely to receive a temporary subsidy, keeping the cost at 3% or 4% of payroll.