SDK - Süddeutsche Krankenversicherung a. G.
SDK
SDK is a travel insurance for the Germany market with online purchase and 24/7 assistance.
Direct payment
As a rule, benefits are paid on a cost-reimbursement basis: the insured pays costs abroad and submits original invoices for reimbursement. For inpatient hospital treatment, however, the 24-hour emergency service can arrange direct settlement (Direktabrechnung) of the hospital costs.
Geographic scope
Worldwide, excluding Germany (the insured person's country of permanent residence)
Cover applies only outside Germany / outside the country where the insured person has their permanent residence; countries or regions subject to a German Federal Foreign Office travel warning due to war or civil war are excluded.
Starting price
€15
Indicative — pricing assumptions not stated
Unique selling points
- Ranked Germany's fairest private health insurer for the tenth consecutive time, assessed on price-performance ratio, reliability and transparency.
- 24/7 emergency assistance hotline that appoints a local doctor, liaises between treating physicians and the family doctor, and organises repatriation.
- Fast, fully digital policy purchase in just a few clicks via sdk.de/reise or the partner Volksbank Raiffeisenbank website, even last-minute.
- Even travellers who already have private health insurance can benefit, since this policy helps them protect their premium refund (Beitragsrückerstattung) entitlement.
- Premiums automatically decrease from the second policy year onward, with cover renewing year after year.
Coverage limits
Medical treatment costs abroad
Covered
Reimburses costs of medically necessary outpatient and inpatient medical (including dental) treatment abroad; no overall maximum sum insured is stated, only specific sub-limits apply (e.g. dental repairs, aids first needed on the trip, six remedial treatments per case).
Outpatient emergency medical treatment
Covered
Covers costs of ambulatory treatment by freely-chosen doctors, dentists, alternative practitioners, chiropractors and osteopaths, including travel fees, surgery, anaesthesia, X-ray/radiotherapy and prescribed medication.
Inpatient hospital treatment
Covered
Covers medically necessary inpatient treatment including accommodation, nursing and meals in hospital; as an alternative to cost reimbursement, the insured may instead choose a daily cash benefit of 50 EUR per day, paid for up to 30 days from the start of the inpatient stay.
Outpatient treatment, medication and remedies
Covered
Reimburses costs for outpatient physician services, prescribed medicines and bandages from a pharmacy, and remedies such as massages, medical baths, physiotherapy and inhalations (up to six prescribed remedial services per insured event).
Emergency dental treatment
Covered
Covers pain-relief dental treatment and simple dental fillings (e.g. amalgam or composite), plus necessary repairs of dentures to restore chewing ability and temporary dentures; the making of new dentures is not covered.
Transport to the nearest suitable doctor or hospital
Covered
Covers the medically necessary transport to the nearest suitable doctor or hospital, and, if the first doctor/hospital proves unsuitable, the necessary transfer to another suitable one.
Medical repatriation transport
Covered
Covers the costs of a medically sensible and justifiable transport back to the permanent residence held immediately before the trip, or to the nearest suitable hospital in Germany; SDK also organises the transport and covers costs for a co-insured accompanying person.
Funeral and repatriation costs in case of death
€12,000
Reimburses up to 12,000 EUR for the necessary costs of a burial abroad, or alternatively for the repatriation of the body to the permanent residence held before the trip began.
Search, rescue and recovery costs (accident insurance)
€5,000
The separate accident insurance (Tarif ARU, risk carrier Stuttgarter Versicherung AG), which cannot be bought alone and ends when the travel medical policy ends, reimburses up to 5,000 EUR for necessary search, rescue or recovery costs following an accident abroad; rescue costs arising purely from illness are not covered.
Treatment of pandemic-related illness (e.g. COVID-19)
Conditional
Medically necessary treatment of pandemic-related illnesses such as COVID-19 abroad is generally covered under the standard medical expense benefits; costs of quarantine or a delayed return journey are not covered.
Pre-existing conditions
Conditional
Medically necessary treatment for the deterioration of a pre-existing condition occurring during the trip is treated as an insured event; however, treatment that was the reason (or one of the reasons) for the trip, or that was already known to be needed during the planned course of the trip, is excluded.
Winter sports cover
No limit stated
Not addressed as a distinct benefit or exclusion in the AVB/IPID; the policy does not clarify whether winter sports activities are covered or excluded.
Adventure sports cover
No limit stated
Not addressed as a distinct benefit in the AVB/IPID; only specific accident exclusions are listed (e.g. motor racing, piloting aircraft), and no general adventure-sports rider is described.
Pregnancy complications
Covered
Medically necessary treatment for complications in pregnancy, premature birth up to the end of the 36th week of pregnancy, miscarriage, and medically indicated termination of pregnancy is treated as an insured event; routine pregnancy check-ups, normal delivery and non-medically-indicated termination are not covered.
Personal liability abroad
No limit stated
Not mentioned anywhere in the AVB, IPID or product materials; this product does not include a personal liability benefit.
Legal assistance abroad
No limit stated
Not mentioned anywhere in the AVB, IPID or product materials; this product does not include a legal assistance/expenses benefit.
24-hour emergency assistance service
Covered
Provides a round-the-clock emergency hotline that names a local doctor, liaises with the family doctor and treating hospital physicians, notifies relatives/employer, arranges a medically sensible repatriation, and, for inpatient hospital stays, arranges direct settlement of the hospital bill; telephone costs for contacting the service are reimbursed.
Key conditions
Assistance call deadline
Hospital treatment must be reported to SDK within 10 days of its start; after an accident, a doctor must be consulted as soon as possible and SDK informed.
Unauthorized treatment
If the policyholder or insured person breaches a duty of cooperation (e.g. failing to report a hospital stay in time or refusing a requested medical examination), SDK may reduce or refuse benefits within the limits set by §28 VVG.
Purchase while abroad
Cover cannot begin before the contract is concluded and never before the start of the trip abroad; events that occurred before cover began are not indemnified, so the policy cannot be bought retroactively while abroad to cover an event that has already happened.
Chronic conditions
Only the deterioration of a pre-existing chronic condition occurring during the trip is covered as an insured event; scheduled follow-up care or treatment already known to be necessary before the trip is excluded.
Pregnancy
Complications of pregnancy, premature birth up to the end of the 36th week, miscarriage and medically indicated termination of pregnancy are covered as insured events; routine pregnancy monitoring and normal delivery are not covered.
Pre-existing condition exclusions
Treatment that was the reason, or one of the reasons, for undertaking the trip, or that was already known to be needed during the planned course of the trip, is excluded from cover (exception: the trip was undertaken due to the death of a spouse or a first-degree relative).
Coverage duration limit
Cover applies for up to 56 days per trip within the insured calendar year; against an additional premium, cover can be extended up to a maximum of 730 days for insured persons up to age 60, or up to 365 days for older insured persons.
Policy specifics
Medical repatriation
Coverage for medically necessary transport home from abroad when treatment cannot be adequately provided in the country of injury/illness
SourceRescue and recovery costs
Coverage for emergency rescue and recovery costs if accident or emergency occurs during travel (e.g., helicopter rescue during mountain activity)
SourceMaximum trip duration per journey
Coverage limit on duration of any single foreign trip, typically maximum 56 days per trip
SourcePregnancy-related complications coverage
Coverage for medically necessary treatment of pregnancy complications including early birth (before end of 36th week) and miscarriage
SourcePandemic-related illness coverage
Travel Health Insurance generally covers treatment of pandemic-related illnesses (e.g., COVID-19) abroad if medically necessary
SourceReimbursement method
Claims are reimbursed on a cost-reimbursement basis: insured pays treatment costs upfront, then submits receipts for reimbursement by SDK
SourcePermanent residence requirement
Insurable persons must have permanent residence (Lebensmittelpunkt) in Germany; coverage ends if residence is relocated abroad
SourceWar and civil unrest exclusion
No coverage for accidents or illnesses occurring in countries where war or civil war exists
SourceAge 60+ separate policy requirement
Persons aged 60 and over cannot be covered under family policies; each senior must have an individual policy
SourceAge limit for family policy eligibility
Family cover is only available if the policyholder and their spouse/partner are each at most 60 years old and children are at most 18; persons over 60 must be insured individually under the applicable single-person rate.
Source