Keeping the government open for business is the essential work of Congress as lawmakers return this week. Ensuring that Americans – especially those with serious conditions like heart disease and cancer – can keep their healthcare coverage is equally important.

Millions of Americans get help from the government through the cost-sharing reduction (CSR) program to help pay for healthcare coverage and doctor visits. These are families and individuals who often live paycheck to paycheck, struggling to make ends meet. Nearly 60 percent of those who buy their own insurance through an exchange – about 7 million people – receive assistance.

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CSRs make a genuine difference in the lives of real people. When you suffer from heart disease or cancer, you depend on regular access to your doctor for prevention and to keep your treatment on track. For someone who makes less than $18,000 a year, or a family of four living on less than $39,000 a year, even $10 or $20 is a significant cost. This program lowers out-of-pocket costs like deductibles and co-pays, making coverage more affordable.

For example, on a typical CSR plan, a person making $18,000 a year could have their deductible lowered from $3,500 to $250 and their urgent care co-pay lowered from $75 to $25. Without this program, millions of Americans simply could not afford their healthcare.

Constituents know the importance of this program and so do their elected officials. It is essential for health plans and the people they serve to know that they can rely on this program. Without it, there will likely be direct and profound consequences on premiums, costs and choice.

First, premiums will go up for everyone if there are no CSRs. According to an analysis conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average premium for a benchmark silver plan – the most popular plans on the exchanges – would increase by 19 percent without cost-sharing reduction payments. Higher premium rates could drive out of the market those middle-income individuals who are not eligible for tax credits. That means more Americans will be uninsured.

Second, hard-working taxpayers will spend even more money. If premiums go up for everyone who buys their own insurance through an exchange, so too will the tax credits the government will pay to consumers to help them afford coverage. UCLA researchers found that federal funding for healthcare premiums without CSRs will increase by almost 30 percent per year.

Third, doctors and hospitals – particularly those in rural areas – will likely see a dramatic increase in patients who can’t afford to pay their bills. With CSRs, health plans pay more of the bills, leaving fewer dollars that providers have to collect from patients. Without cost-sharing assistance, uncompensated care will increase dramatically, putting hospitals and doctors, which are foundational to their communities, in jeopardy.

Fourth, without CSRs, consumers will have fewer choices. Health plans might conclude that marketplace instability is too great and simply leave it. Given the uncertainty of whether this program will continue, some plans have already begun to exit. This will leave millions of Americans across every state with few choices or, in some cases, no choice at all.

We can help avoid this by funding CSRs – now. Action must be taken because every American – regardless of their age, their income, their health status, or their zip code – deserves access to affordable coverage and high-quality care.

At the same time, every business needs some stability in its market to succeed. Healthcare is no different. But right now, the rules that govern healthcare exchanges are anything but stable and clear – and time is running short for the millions of Americans who depend on those exchanges for coverage.

There is a willingness in the administration and among members of Congress to do the right thing for patients across the country. As we continue to debate long-term improvements to healthcare, let’s work together now on a bipartisan basis to deliver the stability that can help make this commitment a reality.

Nancy Brown is CEO of the American Heart Association. Andrew W. Gurman is president of the American Medical Association. Christopher W. Hansen is president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

The views expressed by this author are their own and are not the views of The Hill.