Alex Salmond is to promise the inclusion of a right to free healthcare in the proposed written constitution of an independent Scotland.
The first minister said the NHS in England was facing a programme of steady privatisation, but Scotland had a chance to choose a different path.
Supporters of the Union have accused Mr Salmond of scaremongering.
They have pointed out that health policy is devolved, with decisions about the NHS already made at Holyrood.
The founding principle of the NHS was healthcare free at the point of delivery and based upon clinical need, not the ability to pay.
Alex Salmond has said that this principle should be "a fundamental part of Scotland's national identity."
He wants to guarantee free healthcare in the proposed written constitution for an independent Scotland.
The first minister has previously warned of a "growing threat" to the Scottish NHS from an agenda of "privatisation and fragmentation" at Westminster.
He has claimed that trend could impact upon Scotland through the Barnett formula which allocates spending across the UK.
But opponents have dismissed his claims and said they were designed to scare voters.
Pro-UK campaigners have previously argued that remaining part of the UK would "secure the best future" for the NHS in Scotland.
Constitution to 'guarantee' free NHS
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