Dr. Oz bats back Democratic attempts to paint him as a 'snake oil' salesman in Senate hearing

Oz laid out his plans for the agency, including potential reforms he is considering, during a confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Committee on Finance. The committee will soon vote on whether to advance Oz's nomination to become the next director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to the full Senate. 

But Oz's claim he wasn't getting paid to promote the products didn't convince Hassan, who pointed out press reports chronicling the "Dr. Oz effect," a phenomenon whereby sales of products he endorsed would skyrocket after being featured on his show. 

"That was written about by the press," Oz told Hassan. Hassan then argued Oz seemed "unwilling to take accountability for [his] promotion of snake oil remedies."

One of those companies is iHerb, an online supplement retailer, which represents one of Oz's largest financial holdings. According to his ethics filing, Oz's holdings in iHerb are worth as much as $25 million.