Healing is very competitive, but in a different way as DPS. Mostly it's healing quality determining whether you get a raid spot, who you're healing, etc. If you get assigned to main-heal the main tank, you are obviously very reliable and on top of your game and your other healers, but if you're the 3rd healer on the main-tank, it may be because the raid leader doesn't trust you to a dedicated role.

Healing can't simply be judged by the healing meters, which only measures healing opportunities. There are a lot factors that go into determining a truly good healer and the metric is trust. I think you would have to do some heavy statistical analysis in the combat logs to really see a good healer's quality from numbers, but it can easily be felt.

1) Healing classes should use everything they can in their arsenal.
2) Raid healers should understand the concepts of downranking for endurance fights and focus macros.
3) Healers need to be acutely aware of healing aggro, which abilities and when they can use them without causing too much threat.
4) Healers should not be stingy with the mana pots and should drink them early so they can chain them later when they need it.
5) Healers should lead their long-cast heals when healing the main tank, interrupting them if no damage is taken.
6) Healers should decurse/cleanse/anything unless told not to for mana purposes or focus-healing. Be aware of unstable affliction. Call out to your backup if you die, etc.
7) Healers should use appropriate plugins like perfectraid, decurisve, KTM/omen.
8) Raid healers should be instance-specced with a proven spec, no soloing or pvp talents, please. Unless you're the bee's knees or your raid leader's best friend, don't go with cutesy talents, spec hardcore for your role.
9) When not needing to chain heal or lead heals on a friendly player, target the tank's mob and watch his target of target, assisting to heal when needed. Be aware of aggro changes and be ready to assist the mob to its new target and have a shield or a heal ready when it strikes.
10) Watch your squishies, they die quickly and you can't just watch the green bars and heal reactively. Squishies exist to test your proactive healing abilities.

There is plenty more to say, but if you have a good raid healer, he will look for these qualities in you and rank you accordingly in his own mind. That is your measure of healing.

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