Unum's Dana Jenkins on Premium Leakage and the Benefits Data Problem
Show notes
New Episode Coming July 28
Most premium leakage isn't the product of ill intent. It's the hidden cost of a billing model built on self-reporting — and Dana Jenkins breaks down how to close the gap.
In this episode of The Current, Ansel sits down with Dana Jenkins, Vice President, Head of Transformation at Unum, to unpack premium leakage: the discrepancy between what carriers are owed and what they actually collect.
Dana explains why subtle misreads between covered payroll and covered benefit can quickly drain 40% of an LTD plan's premium, how Unum rebuilt billing around the employer's own system as the source of truth, and what real-time connectivity could unlock across enrollment, eligibility, and leave administration.
Listen to this episode to learn:
- Why the billing model that leads to premium leakage is a pain point for everyone, from carriers to employers (and how Unum broke from it)
- How making the employer's system the source of truth cut billing work from 6–10 hours a month to under an hour
- Where Dana puts the industry on a 1–10 connectivity scale, and what LIMRA and LDEx standards are unlocking
- The one part of the claims process Dana says AI shouldn't touch — and the problem-first lens he uses to evaluate any new technology
Meet the expert
Dana Jenkins is Vice President, Head of Transformation at Unum, one of the largest providers of disability, life, and supplemental benefits in the United States. He came up through billing operations before moving into product management in 2017, where he led product management for Broker Connect and helped shape Unum's digital integration strategy with platforms like Employee Navigator. Today he oversees Unum's broader transformation agenda across quoting and platform connectivity — work grounded, as he'll tell you, in a family that's been talking benefits at the dinner table for over 50 years. Connect with Dana on LinkedIn.
About The Current
The Current is a bi-monthly podcast that explores the intersection of people, finance, and data, featuring conversations with the operators, builders, and leaders shaping the employment ecosystem.
About the host
Ansel Parikh is the co-founder and COO of Finch, the leading API platform for payroll, HR, and benefits connectivity. He’s spent the last six years building the infrastructure that enables secure, permissioned access to HR and payroll data for a broad ecosystem of software companies serving employers, employees, and service providers.
