As the debate rages in the halls of Congress on whether to include a public option for health insurance, one group in Mercer County already enjoys a government-run plan.

Prisoners at the Mercer County Jail are provided essential health care coverage at bargain rates — for them.

Consider this, prisoners at the jail do not have a co-pay on:

• Any hospitalization costs.

• Any prescription.

• Any hospital tests such as blood, X-ray, CT scan or MRI.

• Any outpatient hospital care including surgery.

Major pre-existing illnesses aren’t a problem as inmates will be treated regardless of any ongoing or prior malady. Unlike most private insurance plans there is no monetary cap on the amount of health care coverage an inmate can receive. Those bothersome claim forms aren’t a problem as inmates never have to file one.

There are a few out-of-pocket expenses. A $3 fee is charged for prisoners seeing a prison nurse and $5 for a doctor — well below the co-pay average of private insurance plans.

Finding a health care practitioner at odd times usually isn’t an obstacle as a nurse is on staff at the jail 16 hours a day, seven days a week.

There are limits though. Prisoners have no choice in which practitioner they get to see and the only eye and dental coverage they get are for emergency situations such as a tooth with an abscess.

“We don’t do teeth cleanings or elective surgeries,’’ said Jeff Gill, the jail’s warden. “This isn’t a case where you come to jail and we take care of all your medical needs.’’

Still, while health care for inmates at the jail isn’t the Cadillac of plans it is better than — in many cases considerably better — than plans outside the jail. An estimated 45 million Americans have no health insurance.

All of the medical costs at the jail are borne by the Mercer County taxpayers as the prison gets no state or federal reimbursements for health care.