If trying to figure out your health insurance bills isn't a big enough headache, the deadbeat status of the state of Illinois has introduced a new level of confusion to thousands of state workers and retirees.

The state is now $3.7 billion behind on payments to thousands of state vendors.

Because of this, some doctors and dentists who provide services to employees and retirees covered by state health insurance are charging interest to their customers while they wait for the state to pay what it owes to them.

In all, more than 350,000 employees and retirees could be affected by this state of affairs, which was caused not only by a downturn in the national economy, but by the people who oversee state government - bureaucrats, state lawmakers and a few recent governors.

Businesses that provide services to the state are well aware of the pain. Some haven't been paid for work they did back in March. The payment delays have resulted in the closure of some social service programs.

Gov. Pat Quinn wants to solve the problem by raising taxes. Republicans want to cut spending. Democratic lawmakers don't want to hurt their chances on Election Day, so they are waiting until after the Feb. 2 primary election to even think about voting for a tax hike.

Everyone in charge seems to be waiting for some key moment that will allow them to take action without hurting their political careers.

This past week, rather than spending the fall veto session dealing seriously with the budget, legislators became consumed with reform fever. Not that getting rid of Rod Blagojevich or improving campaign finance laws is a bad thing. It's just that there is a giant financial mess hanging over state government.

So, while lawmakers fiddled around with ethical reforms last week, regular folk who rely on state benefits were being pestered by the billing departments of their local health care providers.

Is there a way to resolve this?

We asked Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes first. The comptroller is in charge of paying the state's bills. The comptroller, we'll also note, is running for governor. Against Quinn.

We asked whether people should pay these interest charges or refer the billing departments to the state.

Hynes' office said people should take their inquiries to an agency that is under Quinn's control, the Department of Health Care and Family Services.

"The Department of Health Care and Family Services manages the health insurance program for state employees and retired employees," a spokeswoman wrote. "That agency is the one that determines which providers receive payment and the timing of those payments, so your inquiry should really be responded to by DHCFS."

"Sorry, wish I could be of more help," she added.

We took her advice and asked a spokeswoman at the Department of Health Care and Family Services the same question. Should people pay interest out of their own pockets to their health care providers, even though the problem is because of the meltdown in Springfield?

The spokeslady at the agency told us to ask someone at the Department of Central Management Services, another state agency under Quinn's control.

Undeterred, we followed the red-tape trail.

"We have received no calls from members indicating that they are being asked to pay interest by health care providers," a spokeswoman for the Department of Central Management Services wrote.

Perhaps that's because no one knows where to complain.

Given the lack of help offered by the bureaucrats, a better bet for venting might be to your local lawmaker or to Gov. Quinn. The accidental governor is on the campaign trail a lot these days. He's usually pretty approachable.

Your local lawmakers also are in re-election mode. If they give a hoot about helping people, they should at least stop and listen. They clearly have the time to hear your beefs now since they aren't scheduled to return to Springfield to spin their wheels until sometime next year.

In the meantime, here's what else we were told by one of the Quinn administration mouthpieces.

"Providers should not charge members interest."

The advice from state officials is for employees and retirees to work out a payment schedule with their health care providers so that when the state eventually pays them, they will reimburse these employees and retirees for any interest they've already paid.

In other words, you deal with it since we either can't or won't.

KURT ERICKSON heads the Lee Enterprises Springfield Bureau, which serves The Southern and other Lee newspapers; contact him at kurt.erickson@lee.net or 217-789-0865.