Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will make Medicare the centrepiece of his re-election campaign, promising to spend about $8 billion over four years to boost payments to doctors who eliminate out-of-pocket costs for patients.

At a rally in Launceston on Sunday, Albanese will announce that a re-elected Labor government will broaden an existing incentive paid to doctors who don’t charge patients out-of-pocket fees – known as bulk billing – and create a new top-up payment for clinics that bulk bill for every visit.