About Project Kos
About Project Kos

Built on a belief that
understanding your care is a right.

Not a product. Not a platform. A resource — freely given.

Hippocrates of Kos taught medicine in the open air because he believed the knowledge of the body belonged to everyone — not just to the physicians who held it. Two thousand years later, the system built in his tradition has grown so complex that the people it was built to serve can no longer find their way through it alone. Project Kos was created to change that.

What this is
A plain-language guide to the American healthcare system

Project Kos is a free, independent navigational resource for seniors, caregivers, families, and the professionals who serve them. It explains how Medicare works, what each care setting looks like from the inside, what your rights are, and what to do when something goes wrong — in plain language, sourced to authoritative federal and state sources.

It is not a Medicare plan. It does not sell insurance. It is not affiliated with any provider, insurer, pharmaceutical company, or government agency. Nothing on this site is ever for sale. There are no advertisers, no sponsors, no affiliate arrangements, and no sponsored content of any kind.

Why it exists
The people who need this information most are the ones least served by how it's currently delivered

Most healthcare information online is either too clinical to be useful, too commercial to be trusted, or too generic to apply to any specific situation. Government sources are accurate but difficult to navigate. Insurance company resources serve the insurer's interests. Most consumer health sites are built around advertising revenue.

The 65-year-old trying to understand whether to choose Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage, the adult child on a plane finding out her mother just had surgery, the discharge planner trying to explain the SNF benefit to a family in 15 minutes — none of them are well served by what currently exists.

Project Kos was built to fill that gap. Every page answers a real question that real people ask at real moments of need. The test for every piece of content is simple: would this actually help someone navigating this situation right now?

How we operate
Four principles that govern everything on this site
Independence — unconditionally
No insurance sold. No referral arrangements. No sponsored content. No preferred providers. No advertising. Editorial decisions are made purely on what's accurate and useful. Nothing else.
Sourced to primary authority
Coverage information is sourced directly from CMS, federal Medicare statute, and state Medicaid agency publications — not from secondary sources, aggregators, or insurer marketing materials.
Plain language, always
Every page is written for a person who does not work in healthcare — not for a clinician, not for a billing specialist. If a 68-year-old can't read it and act on it, it needs to be rewritten.
Corrections are welcomed
Healthcare rules change. We make every effort to keep content current and accurate. When something is wrong, we want to know — and we commit to reviewing and correcting confirmed errors within 3 business days.
Where the information comes from
Primary sources, cited and verifiable

Coverage information on this site is sourced from the following authoritative primary sources. Where confidence is lower — particularly for state Medicaid variation — pages note it explicitly.

CMS Medicare Benefit Policy Manuals — the definitive federal guidance on Medicare coverage criteria, published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at cms.gov
Social Security Act and Code of Federal Regulations — the statutory foundation for Medicare and Medicaid coverage rules, including 42 CFR Part 410 and §§1861–1862 of the SSA
Medicare.gov and the CMS Medicare Coverage Database — official beneficiary-facing coverage resources at medicare.gov
KFF State Health Facts — for state Medicaid benefit data, including dental, hearing, and vision coverage indicators compiled from CMS-approved state Medicaid plans
State Medicaid agency publications — for state-specific benefit structures, HCBS waiver programs, and income/asset thresholds
What this site is not
Important limits to understand

Project Kos provides general navigational guidance based on federal Medicare policy and state Medicaid frameworks. It does not and cannot provide:

A coverage determination — whether a specific service is covered for a specific person depends on individual clinical circumstances, plan enrollment, and insurer review. Only your insurer or Medicare can make that determination.
Medical, legal, or financial advice — nothing on this site constitutes a recommendation to pursue or avoid any specific treatment, plan, provider, or financial decision.
Real-time benefit verification — Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits, Part D formularies, and state Medicaid managed care contracts change frequently. Always verify current benefits with your insurer or state Medicaid agency directly.
Emergency services — Project Kos is a navigational resource. If someone is in immediate medical danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Found something that's wrong or out of date?

Healthcare rules change and we're human. If you find information on this site that appears to be inaccurate, outdated, or misleading, please tell us. We review all reported inaccuracies and commit to correcting confirmed errors within 3 business days. Report an inaccuracy →

Transparency

Content is reviewed and updated on a rolling basis as federal and state coverage rules change. Pages note data vintage where relevant. Last comprehensive review: April 2026.

Project Kos is operated independently. It has no board, no investors, no parent company, and no institutional affiliation. It exists because the information should be freely available to everyone who needs it.

Questions, corrections, or feedback?

We want to hear from you — whether you found an error, have a question we haven't answered, or just want to get in touch.

Contact us → Back to the guide