Captain Panda
Explorer
A couple counterpoints. First, healing a Moon Druid is a terrible idea in base 5e (I think I actually stated that early in this thread, it's one of the strengths of other tanking styles), so it being more effective than that isn't exactly a ringing endorsement. If someone has terrible armor, they either need a very large and efficient hit point buffer (which Moon Druids gave) or to stay out of the way of the monsters. Spamming heals into someone who shouldn't be in the front but insists on being there anyway is... I mean, can't you see how that's just a bad idea?It's a way better use of a spell slot than to heal hit points though.
Also, the fact that Druids can do do things like summon and then wild shape into a beefy combat form is part of the reason a balance patch is on the table, innit?
Second, there's a risk-reward aspect. When you enter melee as a bear and have summons out, you are going to get hit and you can't refresh the spell if you drop concentration, so there is risk and reward aspect. You are giving up almost your entire class, doing mediocre damage, putting your concentration at risk, and all you're getting in exchange is the temporary hit points granted by the form. After the first few levels, the hit points ARE what Wild Shape gives you, at least in combat. The damage isn't shameful or anything, but it's not as useful as actually being in Druid form and casting spells.