Republican governors have a new target in their quest to cut Medicaid costs: illegal immigrants.

Republican Governors Association Policy Chairman and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, at a news conference to talk about the RGA’s Medicaid reform ideas for the states Tuesday in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

In a report released Tuesday, the Republican Governors Association outlined 31 solutions that it says would bring down the cost. Medicaid is a top budget item for states, and governors from both parties have complained it’s busting their purse as more people lose jobs and qualify for the federal-state insurance program for the poor.

The RGA has floated most of the ideas before, but one jumped out as new. Solution No. 5 would “require the federal government to take full responsibility for the uncompensated care costs of treating illegal aliens.” Keep in mind that federal law already prohibits illegal immigrants from enrolling in Medicaid.

But RGA Policy Chairman and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said illegal immigrants sneak onto the program in his and other states and add to its tab…