NO child in America should be denied the chance to see a doctor when he or she needs one — but if Congress doesn’t act soon, that’s exactly what might happen.

For the past 18 years, the Children’s Health Insurance Program has provided much-needed coverage to millions of American children. And yet, despite strong bipartisan support, we are concerned that gridlock in Washington and unrelated disputes over the Affordable Care Act could prevent an extension of the program. As parents, grandparents and former legislators, we believe that partisan politics should never stand between our kids and quality health care.

We may be from different political parties, but both of us have dedicated our careers to supporting the health of children and their families. This shared commitment inspired us to work together in the late 1990s to help create CHIP to address the needs of the two million children whose families make too much money to be covered by Medicaid, but cannot afford private insurance.

The resulting program, a compromise between Republicans and Democrats, disburses money to the states but gives them flexibility to tailor how they provide coverage to meet the needs of their own children and families. Some expanded Medicaid; others created separate programs. As a result, the number of uninsured children in America has dropped by half. Children miss less school because of illness or injury, and we’ve seen a significant decline in childhood mortality.