I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2033 
To authorize and support psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis data collection, 
to express the sense of the Congress to encourage and leverage public 
and private investment in psoriasis research with a particular focus 
on interdisciplinary collaborative research on the relationship between 
psoriasis and its comorbid conditions, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 26, 2011 
Mr. GERLACH (for himself and Mr. GONZALEZ) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To authorize and support psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis 
data collection, to express the sense of the Congress 
to encourage and leverage public and private investment 
in psoriasis research with a particular focus on inter-
disciplinary collaborative research on the relationship be-
tween psoriasis and its comorbid conditions, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Psoriasis and Psoriatic 
Arthritis Research, Cure, and Care Act of 2011’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are auto-
immune, chronic, inflammatory, painful, and dis-
abling diseases that require lifelong timely and ap-
propriate medical intervention and care and have no 
cure. 
(2) Current studies indicate that the prevalence 
of psoriasis in the United States ranges between two 
and three percent, affecting approximately 7.5 mil-
lion men, women, and children of all ages, approxi-
mately 17,000 individuals in each congressional dis-
trict, and has an adverse impact on the quality of 
life for virtually all affected. 
(3) Psoriasis often is overlooked or dismissed 
because it is not typically a direct cause of death. 
Psoriasis is commonly and incorrectly considered by 
insurers, employers, policymakers, and the public as 
a mere annoyance—a superficial problem, mistak-
enly thought to be contagious, due to poor hygiene, 
or both. As such, treatment for psoriasis is often in-
correctly categorized as ‘‘cosmetic’’ and not ‘‘medi-
cally necessary’’. 
(4) Psoriasis is connected with an elevated risk 
for other serious, chronic, and life-threatening co-
morbid conditions, including cardiovascular disease, 
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diabetes, stroke, and cancer. A higher prevalence of 
stroke, atherosclerosis, chronic obstructive pul-
monary disease (COPD), Crohn’s disease, lympho-
ma, metabolic syndrome, and liver disease are also 
found in people with psoriasis as compared to the 
general population. Up to 30 percent of people with 
psoriasis also develop potentially disabling psoriatic 
arthritis. 
(5) The National Institute of Mental Health 
(NIMH) funded a study that found that psoriasis 
may cause as much physical and mental disability as 
other major chronic diseases, including cancer, ar-
thritis, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and de-
pression. 
(6) Psoriasis is associated with elevated rates of 
depression, 
anxiety, 
and 
suicidality 
(suicidal 
thoughts, suicide attempts, and completed suicides). 
Individuals with psoriasis are twice as likely to have 
thoughts of suicide as people without psoriasis or 
with other chronic conditions. 
(7) The risk of premature death is 50 percent 
higher for people with severe psoriasis. This trans-
lates to people with severe psoriasis dying four years 
earlier, on average, than people without psoriasis. 
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(8) The economic consequences of psoriasis, 
both for individuals and the health care system, are 
significant. Total direct and indirect health care 
costs of psoriasis are calculated at $11,250,000,000 
with work loss accounting for 40 percent of the cost 
burden. People with psoriasis have significantly 
higher health care resource utilization and costs 
than the general population. Additionally, psoriasis 
patients with comorbidities are more likely to experi-
ence urgent care, have greater rates of hospitaliza-
tion, more frequent outpatient visits, and incur 
greater costs than psoriasis patients without 
comorbidities. 
(9) Early diagnosis and treatment of psoriatic 
arthritis may help prevent irreversible joint damage. 
(10) Treating psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis 
presents a challenge for patients and their health 
care providers. A wide range of treatment options is 
available; however, adverse side effects and success 
varies from patient to patient. The same treatments 
do not work for every patient and a treatment that 
may have been effective for a period of time can stop 
working. 
(11) Despite a number of recent breakthroughs 
that have led to some new treatments, too many peo-
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ple with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis still cannot 
live normal lives. For many of these individuals, ex-
isting treatments are not effective or appropriate or 
may not be accessible due to cost and insurance bar-
riers. 
(12) Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis constitute 
a significant national health issue that deserves a 
comprehensive and coordinated response by States 
and the Federal Government with involvement of the 
health care provider, patient, and public health com-
munities. 
SEC. 3. NATIONAL PSORIASIS AND PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS 
DATA COLLECTION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, acting through the Director of the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Prevention, is authorized to 
undertake psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis data collection 
efforts, including incorporating questions into public 
health surveys, questionnaires, and other databases in ex-
istence as of the date of the enactment of this Act to col-
lect information, with respect to psoriasis and psoriatic ar-
thritis, regarding— 
(1) the prevalence of psoriasis and psoriatic ar-
thritis in the United States; 
(2) the age of onset; 
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(3) health-related quality of life; 
(4) health care utilization; 
(5) burden of such disease (such as with respect 
to employment); 
(6) direct and indirect costs; 
(7) health disparities, including with respect to 
age, gender, race, and ethnicity; and 
(8) comorbidities and the natural history of 
such disease. 
Such data collection efforts may include the consideration 
and development of a patient registry, which would include 
individuals of all ages. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 
out subsection (a), there are authorized to be appropriated 
$1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 through 2017. 
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS FOR COLLABORATIVE INTER-
DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH ON PSORIASIS AND 
PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS AND COMORBID CON-
DITIONS. 
It is the sense of the Congress that— 
(1) the psoriasis research community has made 
significant strides in proving the seriousness of pso-
riasis as an autoimmune disease and in advancing 
the identification of commonalities between psoriasis 
and other diseases; 
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(2) the nonprofit and private sector psoriasis 
research communities are to be commended for plan-
ning a multidisciplinary scientific meeting in 2012 to 
discuss future directions of psoriasis and comorbid 
research, identify initiatives necessary to fill any 
gaps, leverage public and private investments in pso-
riasis research, and facilitate progress in inter-
disciplinary research related to psoriasis and its co-
morbid conditions; 
(3) the National Institutes of Health is encour-
aged to continue to work with the organizations and 
private sector stakeholders who convene the multi-
disciplinary scientific meeting to discuss future di-
rections of psoriasis and comorbid research; 
(4) the nonprofit and private sector meeting 
conveners should disseminate to the public, Con-
gress, and other relevant public and private policy-
making and research entities a report that includes 
findings from the scientific meeting and suggestions 
regarding next steps, including recommendations 
from the National Institutes of Health and other rel-
evant Federal agencies; and 
(5) utilizing the information produced by the 
scientific meeting regarding future directions of pso-
riasis and comorbid research, the Secretary of 
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Health and Human Services, acting through the Di-
rector of the National Institutes of Health, and in 
conjunction with the National Institute for Arthritis, 
Musculoskeletal, and Skin Diseases and other insti-
tutes and centers of the National Institutes of 
Health, is encouraged to explore the development of 
a virtual Center of Excellence for Collaborative Dis-
covery in Psoriasis and Comorbid Research or some 
other mechanism through which public and private 
sector findings regarding psoriasis and its comorbid 
conditions can be regularly shared and leveraged. 
Æ 
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