Consumers get more tools to gauge medical costs, quality.

An abundant new crop of online tools is available to help consumers manage their medical expenses.

As more employers offer consumer-directed health plans and try to persuade workers to shop for better deals in health care, insurers are stepping up their efforts to help consumers understand and calculate the costs. Moreover, they usually are making information and tools available to all customers, not just those with consumer-driven health plans.

Medco Health Solutions, a pharmacy benefit manager, recently unveiled its Savings Advisor, which allows patients to