The purpose of this part is to implement Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) (42 U.S.C. 18116), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in certain health programs and activities. Section 1557 provides that, except as provided in Title I of the ACA, an individual shall not, on the grounds prohibited under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under, any health program or activity, any part of which is receiving Federal financial assistance or under any program or activity that is administered by an Executive Agency or any entity established under Title I of the ACA. This part applies to health programs or activities administered by recipients of Federal financial assistance from the Department, Title I entities that administer health programs or activities, and Department-administered health programs or activities. The effective date of this part shall be July 18, 2016, except to the extent that provisions of this part require changes to health insurance or group health plan benefit design (including covered benefits, benefits limitations or restrictions, and cost-sharing mechanisms, such as coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles), such provisions, as they apply to health insurance or group health plan benefit design, have an applicability date of the first day of the first plan year (in the individual market, policy year) beginning on or after January 1, 2017.