“From many” asks a valid question. What should hospitals do with vagrants who apparently aren’t all that sick and who can’t pay for treatment?
Hospitals and HMOs are not allowed to "dump" patients. They are permitted to discharge patients only after the individuals are able to care for themselves, or have someone to care for them.
There are many programs, both public and private, which assist indigent persons who need some form of assisted care. Hospitals and HMOs are well aware of those options and they know how to make good use of them.
HMOs are notorious for patient dumping. Inside the industry, the practice is known as "surfing" and "turfing." The latter term refers to making life so miserable for the chronically ill [i.e. by grinding them into the turf] that they go elsewhere for their medical care reimbursement. The former term refers to the observation that things are so bad for the chronically ill that they frequently change physicians, medical practices, hospitals and insurers [i.e. they surf].
HMO customers pay the HMO a fixed price per person per month. The HMO in return promises to pay for all the medical care the individual needs. If a patient is healthy, the HMO earns a profit. If a patient needs expensive medical care, the HMO will lose money and thus has a strong incentive to get rid of the individual.
Given the age of the patient in the article and her lack of income, it is reasonable to assume that she was covered under a government sponsored plan. It therefore appears that the HMO was trying to take the government's money without rendering promised service - another improper act.