With the upcoming changes to spirit and healing, it has gotten me thinking on the future of heals in the world of hybrids.
The changes to spirit, make it so that the only spec that will benefit from additional healing power is the healing tree, making (presently) decent heals, sub-par for use in combat after the changes go into effect. My thinking behind this is that all that additional spell power (as an example) an elemental shaman has, will no longer effect their heals, making them weak. Enhancement already have week heals, and we even have talents for additional spell power right now! In the future, the heals will be even worse, creating rifts in our talent trees where the points spent will not be worth much.
The changes to heals and stamina, further promote the notion that off-spec healing is becoming worthless. We're having normalized HP amounts, and they are (according to the blue posts) supposed to be very high numbers. Not only that, but heals are no longer supposed to be easy to put out. It was at one point (I can't find it, haven't looked though..) stated in a blue post that you should have to do a lot more healing in order to get a target to full.
Knowing this, why would a hybrid use heals in combat (where it is actually an advantage presently over the pure bloods). In the expansion, it looks as though we'll just be doing less damage (5% supposedly), because "zomg we can heal!", which will at that point be worthless to us. At this point, it seems safe to say that our damage should be made par with the pure bloods. It seems silly to put us below in the first place when the only reason it is, is because we can heal - which is ultimately a utility to any non-heal specced player. Even the pure dps have utility right?
TLDR: Read the above stuff, it's good. Anyways, heals are on their way out for hybrid non-healers, so our damage should be brought up to par with the pure bloods.