Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) jumped yesterday into the health care debate being waged by Democratic presidential contenders with a proposal that focused on developing cures for chronic diseases rather than extending health care coverage to the estimated 41 million Americans who lack such insurance.

In a speech at George Washington University, Lieberman said he will soon unveil a "practical and affordable plan" that addresses the health care insurance issue as an alternative to proposals that have been made by four of his rivals for the Democratic nomination. But yesterday, he argued that accelerating the search for cures for diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes and heart disease could save billions of dollars in health care costs and reduce the financial strain on the health care system.

To that end, Lieberman said that he would spend $150 billion over 10 years in public and private funds to create an American Center for Cures that would seek to transform advances in scientific and medical research into new drugs, treatments and vaccines for chronic diseases.

Lieberman spoke on the same day that one of his rivals, Sen. John Edwards (N.C.), was in Iowa to announce a plan to boost economic development in rural areas. Edwards called for a five-year effort to help small-town entrepreneurs gain access to investment capital and a program to bring high-speed Internet access to the countryside.

Lieberman's decision to enter the health care debate with a focus on curing diseases rather than expanding insurance coverage was a deliberate attempt to distinguish himself. He has chided the other Democrats for advocating "big spending" solutions to national problems, and he said that his health insurance proposal "will not be a big government, big spending program."

"What we're doing is absolutely highlighting how we're different," said Jano Cabrera, Lieberman's campaign spokesman. "Everybody is going to talk about [insurance] coverage and cost. But we think there is an element that is missing, and that's cures."

Cabrera said Lieberman would unveil his health insurance plan this summer.

In his speech, Lieberman said that 100 million Americans suffer from chronic diseases, and that treating them costs $750 billion a year. "Think of how we could reduce the cost of health care and health insurance if we could cure a lot of these diseases," he said.

Lieberman also took a swipe at President Bush, recounting a conversation with a New Jersey woman who said she was angry because the president imposed restrictions on stem cell research that could hinder finding a cure for juvenile diabetes, which afflicts one of her children. "I share her anger," Lieberman said. "The Bush administration's policy is not compassionate conservatism; it's not compassionate, and it's not right."

Lieberman said his proposed American Center for Cures would not compete with the National Institutes of Health and other government health research facilities. Instead, he said, it would complement their work by speeding up the way basic research is used to create practical applications for curing diseases. Calling the center "the most unique and ambitious piece of my vision" to improve health care in the United States, he said much of its cost would come from "cooperative agreements" with private firms and the sharing of royalties from new drugs developed at the center.

Details of how the center would be financed will be announced later, Cabrera said.

Edwards's speech in Nevada, Iowa, was an attempt to reach a crucial constituency in the first state that will cast votes for the presidential nominee in caucuses next January. Saying that the rural way of life is "under siege," Edwards also proposed tax incentives to encourage investment in rural "revitalization zones" and a simplified method for small towns to apply for federal grants. He said he would pay for the program by eliminating "big subsidies for special corporate interests."