I'm A Banana
Potassium-Rich
I think this is an area with a lot of overlapping issues. Healing is probably so scattered in the data because it's a multifaceted issue.
Ultimately, for the "basic" game, the raw D&D experience, having magical cleric healing being the only real healing available beyond a full night's sleep (which might not even heal you to full) is probably fine, on the first, simplest, most basic level.
However, even there, we absolutely want to avoid the "somebody must play a cleric" problem. Nothing is going to defeat a newbie's enthusiasm quite like being told that there's this awesome game of warriors and wizards out there, and that everyone else will be playing those classes, but you have to play a cleric -- the guy whose main job is to hand out HP's.
So we absolutely want a group entirely made up of Fighters to be totally OK with not having anyone there as a heal-bot.
Which ultimately means that, magical or not, we're going to need to give these fighters access to something that does the same thing that healing does.
A mechanic that lets them ignore damage could fill that role, of course. Mathematically, there's not a big difference between ignoring 1d8 points of damage and healing 1d8 points of damage. It's all in the psychology after that. Which means you absolutely want to be clear, even in the Basic game, that a Cleric is a useful team member to have, but they aren't essential.
If you can pull that off, you're probably solid for the Basic game.
And then we can worry about options for non-magical healing when we're out of the "pure D&D experience" woods. It's vital that 5e have such an option, I feel, but it probably doesn't have to be in the Basic game. As long as even there, nobody is forced mechanically to play a cleric, we're probably solid.
If anyone is forced to play the cleric (or any "substitute cleric" Leader), though, we've got issues, even in the Basic game, 'cuz that's gonna lead to bored first-timers being made to play a role they're not into just because the party "needs" one.
Ultimately, for the "basic" game, the raw D&D experience, having magical cleric healing being the only real healing available beyond a full night's sleep (which might not even heal you to full) is probably fine, on the first, simplest, most basic level.
However, even there, we absolutely want to avoid the "somebody must play a cleric" problem. Nothing is going to defeat a newbie's enthusiasm quite like being told that there's this awesome game of warriors and wizards out there, and that everyone else will be playing those classes, but you have to play a cleric -- the guy whose main job is to hand out HP's.
So we absolutely want a group entirely made up of Fighters to be totally OK with not having anyone there as a heal-bot.
Which ultimately means that, magical or not, we're going to need to give these fighters access to something that does the same thing that healing does.
A mechanic that lets them ignore damage could fill that role, of course. Mathematically, there's not a big difference between ignoring 1d8 points of damage and healing 1d8 points of damage. It's all in the psychology after that. Which means you absolutely want to be clear, even in the Basic game, that a Cleric is a useful team member to have, but they aren't essential.
If you can pull that off, you're probably solid for the Basic game.
And then we can worry about options for non-magical healing when we're out of the "pure D&D experience" woods. It's vital that 5e have such an option, I feel, but it probably doesn't have to be in the Basic game. As long as even there, nobody is forced mechanically to play a cleric, we're probably solid.
If anyone is forced to play the cleric (or any "substitute cleric" Leader), though, we've got issues, even in the Basic game, 'cuz that's gonna lead to bored first-timers being made to play a role they're not into just because the party "needs" one.