Barack Obama promises change in Washington to bring health care coverage to all Americans, but veteran NPR reporter Snigdha Prakash asks "Is Washington ready to go along?" She interviews a long time insurance industry lobbyist who helped defeat the Clinton health care plan; he says the same tactics will be used again to defeat an Obama plan if he's elected. But then we hear from a new group in Washington with deep pockets and a mandate from millions of Americans.

Todd Melby interviews Monique Williams.  After her stepfather died, her mother went "out of control." So the teenager from Hammond, Indiana rented her own apartment and worked two jobs. She graduated from high school, but didn't have the money for college. Instead, she worked a pair of part-time jobs. Monique's job at a grocery store deli paid $7.29 per hour and her job at Wendy's paid $5.90 per hour. "It wasn't that much ... that's why I had to keep working," she says.