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State and federal health officials, facing growing concerns about the cost of insurance plans offered through the Affordable Care Act, are scrambling to deploy new Web-based tools to help Americans find the most economical coverage.

This fall, state and federal insurance marketplaces created by the law, including in California, plan to offer consumers more comprehensive ways to compare health plans, check physician networks and estimate their total healthcare costs.

"People desperately need help," said Robert Krughoff, president of Consumers' Checkbook, a nonprofit that has helped several states develop new tools for their marketplaces.

The push has taken on added urgency as consumers face skyrocketing out-of-pocket medical bills, even as they struggle to understand trade-offs among premiums, deductibles and financial aid provided by the health law.

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