Thanks for adding it to the insurance forum Sue Ellen. I wasn't sure if I'd be better off posting there but I followed the guidelines and put it in the travel forum.
And thank you Eithneangela and emeralds for your input too. It seems as though there really is very little between them.
I have tried to get into the small print but they don't make it easy to compare. They don't follow the same naming conventions in some instances so it is hard to know if you are comparing like with like.
My own uncle had to be hospitalised in Portugal last year and VHI took care of everything. Once my aunt rang them they took over. They told her everything was covered, just keep receipts for her day to day expenses like taxi fares to the hospital and additional nights in the complex they were staying in. The main things like the medical care and the rebooking of their flights were paid directly by the VHI. They even organised assistance for my uncle on the journey home as he needed oxygen and a wheelchair.
She said they were really helpful in a very stressful situation. I was leaning towards the VHI for this very reason and because both my health and travel insurance would be with them so I figure it would be easier if there was a claim. My sister has gone with them but I know the others we are travelling with are going with Multitrip as they don't have medical insurance and they seem to be the best value for money in that situation.
A lot of the entitlements are similar, VHI winning out on a lot of the minor one's. The major difference I can see is Multitrip's Emergency Medical & other expenses is €10m, VHI's is only €5m. According to an article I read online Multitrip cover Third Party Supplier Insolvency and Scheduled Airline Failure up to €1k but VHI doesn't provide cover for these.
Is €5m cover enough for the US? I know it sounds like loads but getting ill in the US is expensive! It's just so hard to know what to do.