Volunteers caress the hands of terminally ill patient Annabelle Martin, 95, as her health quickly declined at the Hospice of Saint John on Sept. 1, 2009, in Lakewood, Colorado. The non-profit hospice serves on average 200 people at a time and is the second oldest hospice in the United States. The hospice accepts patients regardless of their ability to pay. End of life care has become a contentious issue in the current national debate on health care reform.