AUSTIN, Texas - It's 6:20 AM on a Monday in the Hong household, which means a flurry of lunch-packing and last-minute art projects.

"Our mornings are pretty crazy," said Liz Hong.  

But the morning rush could soon be the least of this family's worries.

"So we have CHIP for three of our kids," Hong said. 

The family relies on the state- and federally-subsidized Children's Health Insurance Program or CHIP for short.

"We use it to get our doctor's appointments. My son just recently had a psyche eval done," said Hong. 

The Hongs qualify for CHIP because they make too much for Medicaid but still need help paying for health care, especially one of their son's expensive anxiety disorder medications.

"To lose CHIP would be terrible for us because we would have to pay out of pocket. We can't just stop taking his medications," Hong said.

Congress missed a September deadline to reauthorize CHIP, even though the program has bipartisan support.

"It's a good example of how providing states with the flexibility of resources in the form of block grants can be successful in improving health coverage and outcomes," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said at an October hearing on the issue. 

While both chambers are currently working on legislation to extend the program, measures introduced by House Republicans aimed at weakening the Affordable Care Act are causing gridlock

"There is no good reason to make these families worry," said Dr. Laura Guerra-Cardus of the Children's Defense Fund.

Guerra-Cardus with the Children's Defense Fund says if lawmakers don't act, Texas CHIP funding could run out in January.

"And the only ones that are going to get hurt are children and families," Guerra-Cardus said.

And the Hongs say the timing of it could hurt all the more.

"Can you imagine? It's Christmas. We're getting ready for Christmas and buying presents and then you get a letter from CHIP that says, 'sorry you're out of insurance,'" Hong said.