I guess I'm fortunate in my experience so far, post patch . I don't find the game that much harder, I just have to play it differently. Also, the changes probably added 15 minutes max to my play time, so not a huge deal.
I like the new health bars, took a while to get the why, but I did as I fought higher level opponents. I also understand protection being added vs healable health pool expansion. They are very different solutions, and see why you went the way you did. I'm not a huge fan of the longer arena battles, but only because the ai's weakness really shows in prolonged battles. That being said, you actually use your toolbox of skills now which is good. In this new world, I even found some use for my maxed out grievous for the first time.
Anyway, just my thoughts and experiences, I understand others are having different experiences that have them angry/upset.