This theory states that societies provide both culturally-valued goals and culturally-valued means to meet one’s needs and achieve success. In the U.S., the American Dream has been the goal as individuals strive to own a nice home, a good paying jobs, children, and be able to go on vacations. The means to achieve this goal is to get an education, work hard, and follow the social norms within society. The problems arise when society does not provide the means for everyone to meet these culturally-valued goals. One such example is that many Americans cannot afford healthcare. They do not work for a company that provides health insurance and simply can’t afford to purchase with their annual income. This puts a strain on the individuals and families, as healthcare is a basic need. The American government has not been able to eliminate this strain through public policies as tens of millions have been uninsured and without access to healthcare for decades. Robert Merton discusses the modes of adaption and as in the case of uninsured Americans, the majority succumb to retreatism and adapt as best they can to their circumstances. The means accessing healthcare services by going to the emergency department because law prohibits public hospitals from turning patients away, although private hospitals can turn patients away if it is a non-emergency. This results in an expensive emergency department medical bill that might have only cost a $20 copay had they been insured and visited their primary care doctor. Most individuals who are uninsured put off going to the ER until the medical problem is exacerbated, which could have been avoided if they had insurance and had gone to see a physician when the initial symptoms occurred.