(The Money Times) – Government health insurance benefits for children are no longer limited to those below the poverty line.

Now the middle class families, struggling through the recession, can benefit as well.

During recession the jobless rate rises. As the number of insured adults is relatively low, this came as great news.

“To a surprising extent, the government has really stepped up to provide affordable coverage options for middle-class kids, along with their lower-income counterparts,” said Jocelyn Guyer, co-executive director of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University. “It’s a success story.”

Approximately 10 percent of children, nearly 7 million, still do not have insurance, but 4.7 million of those uninsured children are eligible for government coverage, according to a recent report published in the journal Health Affairs.

Government programs

Government programs like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) have expanded their coverage to a larger extent over the past few years.

Now, kids with families (of four people) with incomes of up to $44,100 too are eligible for some kind of government health insurance.

In New York the cutoff for a family of four is $88,200 and in New Jersey it is $77,175.

Medicaid provides free, or very low cost, health coverage for all people under 21 who live in families with poverty-level incomes, currently $22,050 for a family of four.

On the other side, CHIP provides low-cost health insurance for children in middle-class families who cannot qualify for Medicaid.

Whereas for upper-middle class families, some insurers still continue to offer this coverage, which costs an average of $1,350 a year, according to a survey by America’s Health Insurance Plans, an industry trade group.

Policy could be better

Though the policy is good, it could be better if implemented effectively.

Approximately 10 percent of children, nearly 7 million, still do not have insurance, but 4.7 million of those uninsured children are eligible for government coverage, according to a recent report published in the journal Health Affairs.

“Not enough people know about these plans,” said Mr. McCrea, referring to Oregon’s Healthy Kids program, which is part of CHIP. “Or they think they are a hassle to join, but they’re not.”