A unique psoriasis biologics clinic serving underprivileged patients in the United States

P soriasis is the most prevalent autoimmune disease in the United States, affecting approximately 7.7 million people. As the economic impact of psoriasis correlates with the increased severity of the disease, it is of pivotal importance to provide patients who have psoriasis with comprehensive and continuous medical services. This is especially true for people with an underprivileged socioeconomic status as studies have suggested that these patients are more likely to have severe psoriasis and are less likely to be able to afford the most efficacious treatments, including costly biologic therapies. Although the implementation of the Affordable Care Act allows people who previously had no health insurance or lost their insurance to now have access to health coverage, the treatment options available for patients with psoriasis depend on their insurance plans and what they can afford to pay, making access to expensive biologics challenging. Although biologic therapies have significantly improved the lives of patients with psoriasis because of their efficacy, convenience, and tolerability, they are considerably more expensive than conventional systemic immunomodulating therapies such as methotrexate and cyclosporine. Thus, the high cost of biologics poses an almost insurmountable obstacle for low-income patients with no health insurance or with restrictive reimbursement plans. To overcome this financial hurdle and broaden the access to modern psoriasis care, the Monthly Biologics Center for Indigent Patients with Psoriasis was established at Jackson Memorial Hospital at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, which serves as the primary full-service provider of indigent