Strategy

Strategy — pick the play

Inputs from the case file: audit findings, benchmark table, assistance screening, insurance posture, collections status, what the user can pay. Output: a written game plan in case.md the user signs off on.

The decision tree (first match wins as PRIMARY play; others stack behind it)

1. Court summons exists → not a negotiation. Legal aid, answer the summons, pause everything else.
2. Collector involved & validation window open → validate first (collections skill), negotiate after.
3. Charity-care screening says likely eligible → apply (financial- assistance); hold all payment; negotiation only for any remainder.
4. No Surprises Act facts (OON provider at in-network facility, emergency OON, or bill > GFE + $400) → rights-based dispute / PPDR (rights-and-laws.md §1, templates/letters/nsa-complaint.md), not a discount request.
5. Confirmed billing errors → error dispute letter first; negotiate the corrected balance after they respond.
6. Insurance denied/underpaid wrongly → insurance-appeal before paying anything.
7. Bill is real, priced absurdly (the common case) → evidence-based settlement: benchmark table + written offer.
8. Bill is real and fairly priced (rare, but happens — say so honestly) → hardship adjustment request + interest-free payment plan sizing.

Writing the game plan

Put in case.md:

• Primary play + stacked plays, in order, each with its trigger ("if FAP denied → settlement offer at $X").
• Numbers: walk-away target, opening offer, absolute max the user can pay. Anchor all three to the benchmark table.
• Channel sequence: written where possible; phone to locate the right human, letters to commit positions. Certified mail for anything rights-based (send-letter).
• Deadlines: theirs and ours (validation clock, 240-day FAP window, PPDR 120 days, promised response dates). Every deadline gets a date.
• Escalation ladder with the specific next rung named (knowledge/tactics.md).

Rules of engagement

• One position at a time: never simultaneously claim "I can't afford this" and "I'll pay $X today" to the same office. Sequence: rights/errors → assistance → money.
• Every phone commitment gets a same-day written recap.
• No payment until settlement terms are confirmed in writing ("payment in full," account number, amount, signature block).
• Present the plan to the user in dollars: "billed $14,200 → target $3,100, here's the path" — then get their go before executing.