English
This article analyzes the reform of supplemental insurance in France in the 1980s. Before the Évin Law was enacted, in 1989, three types of actors (nonprofit mutual insurance companies known as mutuelles, provident institutions, and insurance companies) had near-monopolies in separate markets. Although the purpose of the law was to regulate the operation of the sector, it upset a delicate balance by hastening the emergence of market behavior. This is a public policy paradox.
