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Questions about the electronic health care card
What would you like to know about your electronic health care card? Answers to frequently asked questions
If your doctor tells you that an error message such as ‘invalid’ has occurred with your healthcare card, please contact your personal consultant. We will immediately send you an insurance certificate by fax to the doctor’s surgery or hospital. You will also receive a new electronic healthcare card later if necessary.
One reason why an error message may occur when the electronic healthcare card is scanned is that the doctor was not given your current healthcare card.
Important: Always use the healthcare card that we most recently sent you. Your old card is no longer valid once you have received a new one.
New since November 2020:
On the front is a point with waves radiating up to the right and down to the left. This symbol indicates that the card supports NFC technology.
The CE symbol is on the back. This shows that the card complies with the current EU directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS).Since February 2019:
On the back of your electronic healthcare card is a crossed out bin. It indicates that the card is to be treated as an electronic device and thus cannot be disposed of with general household waste. Please send your old cards back to us. We will dispose of them in a way that protects your personal data and the environment.
Yes, because the data can only be read within a very short range and only after entering the CAN number. The CAN number is the six-digit number at the top of the SBK healthcare card.
We are happy to provide you or your doctor with a replacement certificate that you can use as proof of insurance. Simply contact your personal consultant or call the SBK Customer Hotline on 0800 072 572 572 50.
If we already have a photo of you, you can just order a new card through your personal online self-service branch, Meine SBK– it’s easy! You will then receive the new card within three weeks at most.
If we do not have a photo of you, we will need one. You can upload your photo easily to the Meine SBK. A one-time registration is required for this. As soon as we have a photo of you, your card will be issued. You will receive the new card within three weeks at most.
If we already have a photo of you, you will receive your card within three weeks at most.
Not sent us your photo yet? You can easily upload it on your personal online self-service branch, Meine SBK, using your insurance number. Once you have sent us your photo, you will receive your electronic health care card within three weeks at most.
You receive a new card when your information, such as your surname, has changed. The card is valid for five years, regardless of the expiry date of the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) on the back of your healthcare card.
If you change your name, you will receive a new healthcare card. A new photo is not necessary. If your information has changed, you can change it easily yourself in your online self-service branch Meine SBK. Of course your personal consultant will also be happy to help you change your data.
If your address changes and you have already informed us, the address will be automatically updated the next time you visit the doctor. You will therefore not receive a new card.
When your child is born, we send you a temporary electronic health care card, together with a babygro. The permanent electronic health care card with chip will be sent to you automatically after about five weeks, as soon as we have received your child’s lifetime health insurance number from the pension insurance provider.
Children change quickly, which is why a photo is not required for the health care card until your child reaches the age of 15.
Your child will receive a letter with a request to send us a photo when they turn 15, so that we can issue them a new electronic health care card. You can upload this photo easily to the Meine SBK. A one-time registration is required in order to use your personal online self-service branch, Meine SBK. Please note that your child’s insurance number must be used for the registration in order for the photo to be assigned correctly.
The previous card remains valid until the new card has been issued, even after your child has turned 15.
The following data, among other things, is stored on the healthcare card: first name, surname, date of birth, gender, address, insurance number, insurance status (for example, member or co-insured relative), duration of validity and the health insurer code (institution ID).
In future we plan to also store other health-related information, such as emergency information, if you as the patient agree to this.
You are very well protected: the electronic health care card is subject to the especially strict rules governing social security data. Furthermore, all data in future voluntary applications is protected with a PIN.
Health-related data can only be accessed by medical personnel, as the card reader required for this is only available to those holding a medical professional pass. All health-related data is strictly stored in encrypted form, so no third parties, such as employers, can access it.