Travel costs

We can only cover the costs of travelling to outpatient treatment in certain exceptional cases and with prior approval. These special exceptions have been made obligatory for all insurance providers. 

Special exceptions are made for the following journeys:

• Transport of patients who are severely disabled (aG), blind (BI) or in need of special care (H) according to their disability pass, or
• Transport of insurants who require care and are ranked as care level 3, 4 or 5, with permanently restricted mobility, and 
• Journeys to outpatient dialysis or oncological radiology or chemotherapy. 

If any of the aforementioned exceptions apply to you, please ask your doctor to issue a prescription to you directly and send it to SBK, 80227 Munich, Germany, before your planned journey. You can contact your personal consultant at any time if you have any questions.

You can use various means of transport to get to your place of treatment, including:

• public transport 
• taxis and rental cars 
• ambulances or rescue vehicles 
• your own car

If you need to use a taxi, rental car, ambulance or rescue vehicle, your doctor will issue you with a prescription for the journey.

• We cover the cost of a second-class ticket on public transport. Please use any special offers available. Our tip: Children aged 14 and under travel free on Deutsche Bahn services if accompanied by their parents. 
• You will be refunded €0.20 per kilometre for the use of your own car, but no more than the overall cost of using public transport or another prescribed means of transport (e.g. taxi or rental car). 
• Ambulance or rescue service providers charge the costs directly to us. 
• For taxis or rental cars, we cover the costs up to the amount of the contractually agreed reimbursement. Most taxi and rental car companies can invoice us directly.

For travel expenses that we cover for you, you are legally obliged to contribute 10% for each journey (at least €5.00 and up to €10.00, but no more than the actual costs). Round trips count as single trips for these purposes. This applies to all insurants, including children. 

You may be exempt from all statutory co-payments under certain circumstances. Your personal consultant is happy to help.

You do not have to pay any contribution towards travel expenses or other travel costs for medical rehabilitation.

In certain circumstances it may be necessary for the patient to be accompanied during the journey, such as for medical reasons or if the patient is a young child. 

If your doctor confirms the need for an escort in a prescription, we will also cover the additional travel expenses of your escort. If the escort is unable to wait at the place of treatment during the procedure, we will even cover the cost of them travelling to and from the treatment centre without the patient.

The travel expenses that we cover for treatment at a health resort depend on the measures taken (inpatient or outpatient care and rehabilitation measures). We have a pick-up service in place with some of the resorts, which can pick you up from your home or the hospital and take you to the facility. We will provide you with all the information you need for your trip in your letter of approval. Please contact your personal consultant if you have any questions.