Democrats and Republicans have spent months arguing over the passage of a health-care-reform plan, but millions of Americans can’t wait for relief. Instead, they’ve been finding innovative ways to cut medical costs. These measures may be creative, but they’re not always the best solution for long-term health (though some are clearly riskier than others). As long as the economy stays sluggish, jobs stay scarce, and health-care reform stays a subject of political debate rather than reality, however, look for more and more people to seek care using these nontraditional methods.