Long-term care insurance covers the cost of care for a chronic illness. Benefits from the policy are typically paid when the insured losses the ability to do two daily living activities (ADLs) or has a severe cognitive impairment that requires supervision. The six daily living activities are, eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring, and continence. Long-term care insurance providers may have slight variations in how they describe those activities and may include more activities in their definition of ADLs.