GIST Support WikiPSI is a organization that will help with your copay for Gleevec. The phone number is 1-800-366-7741. My copay was $1200. a month and they are paying it all for 2 years. Wonderful people!!! Ask for Martha.
Just read your post about wondering how to pay for medicine on Medicare. Medicare D is the new government program that helps to pay for medications. This information is available on the internet at www.medicare.gov. Go to this site and click on medicare part D. It will give you directions on how to find the best pharmacy insurance in your state. There are numerous programs to choose from. If you feel that you cannot navigate this government site, take your medicare cards and all your prescriptions to your local Walgreen's drug store and they will do it for free.
Gleevec, however, is a different situation. Medicare pays for cancer drugs that are in or have an injectable form. Gleevec (and I would assume Sutent) does not, so it is considered a prescription drug, not a cancer treatment. Gleevec costs so much (around $3000 per month), that you will fall into the donut hole "gap" the first month and it is a VERY sad loophole.
All of the Part D insurances will put you in the same situation. You pick a plan and pay the copay for Gleevec as a "specialty" drug along with any deductible that your plan has. Once the total cost of your meds (not your copay) is $2510.00 (less than one month on Gleevec, you are now in the GAP and have to pay the TOTAL cost of all your meds until your out of pocket is $4050.00 (the second month of Gleevec). After that, you now fall into the "catastrophic" catagory and have to pay 5% of the cost of your meds for the rest of the year. So basically, you have a huge up from out of pocket every year on Part D while taking Gleevec.
Patient Services Incorporated and Patient Advocacy Foundation have programs to help with copayments for Gleevec.
You can find them on the GSI links page under assistance: