Pattaya’s best-known insurance broker likes to say, “The best time to buy insurance is when you don’t yet need it.” Jack Levy, now a lively 69 year old, has been working in Pattaya for 34 years. He’s the founder of Macallan Insurance (named after his favorite whisky and caters for almost any exigency with his busy staff of twelve. Whether it’s health, accident, home, life, education, car, cargo or travel – protecting yourself, or your company of course, is the name of the game.
Jack has overcome macro issues which might have caused many men to give up. He underwent a quadruple heart bypass in 2007 which he followed up with an operation for a brain tumor in 2015 which has left him unable to drive. He has been married six times, including five in Thailand, which he ascribes to a permanent love of wedding cake. Jack still manages a game of golf, though he has rarely broken 100, and maintains community involvement with The British Legion, The British and South African Chambers of Commerce and The Veterans of Foreign Wars amongst others.
Macallan is basically an insurance company geared to the needs of expats rather than tourists. Jack says, “We can insure you for virtually anything, with the exception that medical insurance is virtually impossible for those over 75 applying for the first time.” Jack also notes that the new generation of visas, such as the 10-year Long Term Residence, requires comprehensive medical cover and thinks that the requirement is likely to spread to all retirement visas and extensions over time.
The Thai Cabinet says it intends to lower the requirement for medical insurance for O/A retirement visas and extensions from 3 million Baht to the original 400,000 Baht inpatient benefit. “But that’s only for a few months, so nobody knows what will happen after that,” says Jack. He thinks it’s possible that cash reserves, instead of insurance, may be introduced for elderly expats who can no longer obtain insurance cover.
One of the secrets of Macallan’s success over the years is the high standard of customer service. “It’s not a formal part of the broker’s job to get involved in the actual process of claiming on an insurance policy, but we do offer informal help where customers are in difficulty.” Jack with his eye for detail personally follows up on many cases and is trusted by local hospitals and the police in dire cases of distress.
The company is licensed by Thailand’s Office of Insurance Commission which has the power to check files and investigate problems in what is a highly-regulated industry. “We can only offer products from reputable companies which are registered to do business in Thailand such as Allianz, AXA and Pacific Cross. Of course, there are some questionable insurance companies out there, often not based in Thailand, and you won’t be subjected to them when you use our professional services.”
Of course, the insurance industry is subject to change just like any sphere of life. “There are many opportunities for doing business online these days and artificial intelligence will eventually affect us as it will everybody else.” But Macallan’s tradition of high personal service can’t be matched as things stand. Jack concludes, “Insurance is like a parachute. If you don’t have it the first time you need it, there may not be a second chance.” Check out the website at www.macallanbroker.com
