Medicines and dressings
All the information you need on co-payments and discount agreements for medications

Medicines and dressings are often an important component of therapy, whether to treat a minor infection or a more sustained illness. We support your recovery by covering a majority of the costs of your prescription medication. This page provides important information on medicines and dressings, discount agreements, co-payment rules, what prescription colours mean and much more.
Latest notice: recall of medicines containing valsartan
You can get up-to-date information on the recall of these medicines from your personal consultant.
Medicines and dressings – your SBK benefits:
- SBK covers a majority of the costs of your prescription medication. You only pay the statutory co-payment.
- For many substances, SBK has concluded discount agreements with up to three manufacturers, giving you high-quality medicines and freedom of choice. As an SBK insurant, you benefit a second time from the savings facilitated by discount agreements, as they allow us to keep contribution rates stable.
- If you have questions about medicines and ingredients, the medical experts at the SBK Health Telephone are available 24/7 to answer them. Call the SBK Health Telephone on 0800 072 572 570 00 (free of charge within Germany).
How to get medicines and dressings:
Simply present your doctor’s prescription to your pharmacist. You will then be given the prescription medication or dressing and pay the statutory co-payment. If the price of the medicine exceeds the fixed amount for statutory health insurers for this medication, you pay the difference from your own pocket. But your doctor will generally be able to prescribe you an alternative preparation that does not come with additional costs.
You cover the cost of non-prescription medication and private prescriptions yourself. As a statutory health insurer, SBK is not allowed to cover these costs for you.